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Decades-old racial prejudice has come back to British politics, and it leaves citizens very scared, Keir Starmer warned, cautioning how divisive far-right politics was “splitting the UK”.

Tackling Racist Rhetoric and Harmful Politics

In conversation to GP and TV personality Amir Khan, the prime minister accused the Reform UK party for enabling a return of racist and divisive political discourse which many believed was resolved years back”.

In the interview, which aired on a popular morning program on Tuesday, Starmer provided his strongest signal suggesting the two-child benefit cap would be lifted during the upcoming fiscal announcement later this month.

Promise to Reduce Poverty Among Children

Asked whether he would scrap this restriction, as noted by advocacy groups is the biggest driver of child poverty in the UK, Starmer said: “Let me be perfectly clear I am determined to drive child poverty down.”

He outlined steps ministers have already introduced such as free school meals, breakfast clubs, and childcare but added: “Further action is necessary, and I can look you in the eye that I am dedicated on reducing childhood poverty.”

When pressed about if his comments indicated he would lift the two-child limit, Starmer said “I would not say we are going to drive down poverty among children without being sure that we will implement several steps to achieve this”.

Clear Signals from Rachel Reeves

Rachel Reeves, provided an equally strong hint on Monday when she told a national radio station that finally, a child should not be penalised because their parents don’t have very much money”.

Government officials are understood to be preparing to scrap the restriction fully, having originally looked at phasing it out either for very large families or richer ones. The Resolution Foundation has estimated this would cost about £3.5bn by the end of the decade.

Political Divide and National Renewal

In the interview, Starmer said the political divide currently in Britain was between Labour’s “patriotic national renewal” versus Reform’s harmful divisiveness and other right-wing groups that are “dividing the nation”.

“Some of the rhetoric we’re hearing – discriminatory talk, divisive rhetoric – that frankly I thought we had dealt with long ago is coming back into politics and citizens are fearful,” he stated.

“We must confront to that racism, that division, 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 Concerns from the Health Secretary

Starmer mirrored sentiments expressed by Wes Streeting, who warned earlier this month that an “ugly” racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s was now alarmingly frequent once more with healthcare workers were primary targets of it.

The health secretary noted incidents of both verbal and physical attacks targeting individuals due to race had become so frequent that it was now “socially acceptable to be racist”.

“It is time to put a stop on racism in this country and we need to place such harmful attitudes that’s found expression nationally back in its box and once again create a climate in this country that rejects racism to be racist,” the Health Secretary stated.

Critical Decision for Voters

The Prime Minister used his speech during a major political gathering this autumn to outline political battle lines with his political opponents, saying that the public faced a pivotal moment.

He explained he was engaged in a “fight for the soul of our country”, noting that while the public expressed valid worries about illegal migration, existed an ethical boundary that Farage and others had overstepped.

The PM pledged to challenge those claiming that non-white individuals did not belong and that families residing in the UK for generations should be deported, saying those advocating these ideas constituted “an enemy of national renewal”.

“If you incite racist violence and hostility, that is not expressing concern: it’s criminal. Our political movement values national symbols, but if they are displayed alongside graffiti, targeting a business owner to ‘go home’, that is not patriotism; that is pure discrimination,” he informed activists.