🔗 Share this article Discrimination Making a Comeback in UK Politics, Leaving People Very Scared, Starmer Warns Historical racial prejudice is resurfacing to British politics, and it creates fearful, the Prime Minister warned, cautioning that polarizing hard-right politics was “splitting the UK”. Addressing Discriminatory Language and Divisive Politics In conversation to doctor and media figure a well-known TV doctor, Starmer accused the Reform UK party of overseeing a return of racist and divisive politics “that frankly I thought we had dealt with years back”. During the discussion, which aired on a popular morning program this week, Starmer also gave a clear indication suggesting the limit on child benefits would be lifted in the budget in the coming weeks. Promise to Combat Child Poverty Asked if he would scrap the limit, which charities have said is the biggest driver of child poverty in the UK, the Prime Minister responded: “I want to state unequivocally I will strive to reduce child poverty.” He outlined measures ministers have already introduced including no-cost school lunches, morning meal programs, and child care support and emphasized: “We need to do more than that, and I pledge and tell you I will personally focus to cutting child poverty.” Pressed about if his comments indicated he intended to remove the two-child cap, Starmer said he “wouldn’t be telling you we plan to reduce poverty among children without being sure that we will be taking various actions to achieve this”. Clear Signals from Rachel Reeves Rachel Reeves, provided a similarly clear signal on Monday stating to BBC Radio 5 Live how ultimately, children must not be punished if their parents are struggling financially”. Government officials are understood to be preparing to lift the limit entirely, after initially considering gradual removal for bigger households or wealthier families. An economic thinktank projects this would cost about £3.5bn in the coming years. Ideological Split and Country’s Revival During the discussion, the Prime Minister said the ideological split in the UK now was between the government’s vision for renewal and Reform’s harmful divisiveness and others on the right who were “dividing the nation”. “Some of the rhetoric currently circulating – racist rhetoric, divisive rhetoric – that many assumed we had dealt with in the past has reemerged in political debate leaving people very scared,” he said. “We must confront such discrimination, that divisiveness, and declare confidently that British identity involves caring for others, is about being fair, is to be tolerant and kindness, and we’re proud of that.” Echoing Warnings from the Health Secretary Starmer echoed language expressed by the Health Secretary, who warned earlier this month that a disturbing form of discrimination reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s was now alarmingly frequent again with healthcare workers were facing the worst of it. Streeting noted occurrences of verbal and physical abuse targeting individuals due to race had become so frequent making it “socially acceptable to be racist”. “It is time to put a stop to discrimination in this country and we need to place that ugly racist sentiment that’s found expression nationally where it belongs and reestablish an environment in this country where racism is unacceptable to hold racist views,” the Health Secretary said. Critical Decision for Voters The Prime Minister used his speech during a major political gathering in September to outline political battle lines between himself and Farage, saying that the public confronted a pivotal moment. The prime minister said he was involved in a “fight for the soul of our country”, and argued although the public had “reasonable” concerns about illegal migration, existed “a moral line” that Farage and others had overstepped. The PM pledged to “fight” anyone claiming that people who were not white were not truly British and that families who had lived in Britain for years must be removed, saying people promoting such views constituted “an enemy of national renewal”. “If you incite racial attacks and hostility, that goes beyond concern: it is illegal. This party – this great party – values national symbols, but if they are displayed alongside graffiti, telling a Chinese takeaway owner to ‘go home’, that is not patriotism; that is pure discrimination,” he informed activists.