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Long-standing racism has come back within UK politics, which makes people feel fearful, Keir Starmer has stated, alerting how divisive far-right politics are “dividing the nation”.

Addressing Discriminatory Language and Harmful Strategies

In conversation with doctor and media figure Amir Khan, Starmer pointed to the Reform UK party for enabling the revival to racist and divisive politics which many believed was resolved long ago”.

In the interview, which aired on ITV’s Lorraine show this week, the PM also gave a clear indication suggesting the two-child benefit cap would be lifted during the upcoming fiscal announcement later this month.

Commitment to Combat Poverty Among Children

When questioned whether he would scrap the limit, which charities have said is a major cause of child poverty across Britain, Starmer said: “I can tell you in no uncertain terms I will strive to lower poverty rates for kids.”

He outlined measures ministers have already introduced including no-cost school lunches, breakfast clubs, and childcare but added: “We must go beyond these efforts, and I pledge and tell you I am personally committed to cutting childhood poverty.”

When pressed on whether his remarks indicated he would lift the two-child limit, Starmer said “I would not say we plan to reduce poverty among children if I wasn’t clear that measures will be introduced several steps to achieve this”.

Strong Indications from Rachel Reeves

The Chancellor, gave an equally strong hint on Monday when she told BBC Radio 5 Live that finally, no child should suffer due to their family’s financial situation”.

Ministers are getting ready to lift the limit entirely, after initially considering ways to taper it either for very large families or wealthier families. An economic thinktank projects this would cost about £3.5bn in the coming years.

Ideological Split and National Renewal

In the interview, the Prime Minister said the political divide in the UK now existed between the government’s vision for renewal and Reform’s harmful divisiveness and other right-wing groups that are “tearing our country apart”.

“Parts of the discourse being used – racist rhetoric, divisive rhetoric – which I believed was resolved in the past is coming back into politics and it makes people feel fearful,” he said.

“We must confront to that racism, that divisiveness, and we have to proudly say that to be British is to have concern for others, is about being fair, entails tolerance and compassionate, which we value deeply.”

Reflecting Concerns from Wes Streeting

Starmer echoed sentiments expressed by Wes Streeting, who cautioned recently how an “ugly” racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s had become alarmingly frequent once more with healthcare workers were primary targets of this trend.

Streeting noted occurrences of both verbal and physical attacks targeting individuals due to race now happened so often that it was now “socially acceptable to be racist”.

“It is time to put a stop to discrimination in this country and we’ve got to put such harmful attitudes that’s found expression in our country where it belongs and once again create a climate across Britain where racism is unacceptable to hold racist views,” Streeting stated.

Defining Choice for the Public

Starmer used his speech during a major political gathering in September to draw clear divisions with his political opponents, stating that the public confronted a crucial decision.

He said he was engaged in a struggle for the nation’s identity, and argued although the public had “reasonable” concerns about illegal migration, there was an ethical boundary that Farage and others had crossed.

The PM pledged to “fight” those claiming that non-white individuals were not truly British and that families residing in the UK for generations must be removed, stating people promoting such views were “an enemy of national renewal”.

“Encouraging racial attacks and hatred, that is not expressing concern: it’s criminal. This party – this great party – is proud of our flags, yet if they are painted with hateful messages, telling a Chinese takeaway owner to ‘go home’, that’s not pride; that is pure discrimination,” he informed supporters.