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Starmer to condemn Reform UK’s ‘dangerous right-wing politics’

22 Feb 2025 4 minute read
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street, London. Image: Benjamin Cremel/PA Wire

Sir Keir Starmer will condemn the “dangerous right-wing politics” of Reform UK with the Prime Minister to insist that Nigel Farage’s party are “not the answer for Britain”.

An opinion poll earlier this week put Reform UK ahead of Labour, with other polls north of the border, meanwhile, suggesting the party could win its first ever seats at Holyrood in next May’s Scottish elections.

But Sir Keir will argue the policies they offer are “alien” to the needs of working people.

Scottish Labour conference

The Labour leader is to speak out against the rise of Reform UK when he addresses the Scottish Labour conference in Glasgow on Sunday.

Challenging his party, Sir Keir is expected to say that “if we don’t show a path to the future, others will fill that void”.

The Prime Minister will say that with their “dangerous right-wing politics” Reform UK “will say they are the ones who can tilt politics towards the interests of working people”.

But he will insist that “their proposals do precisely the opposite”, adding that Labour has “to be ready for this test, ready to point out that beneath the bluster, the alternative they offer is alien to working people”.

‘Rare visits to Parliament’

Hitting out at Reform UK, which won five seats in last year’s general election, the Prime Minister will say: “You want to know what Farage and Reform are doing, on their rare visits to Parliament?

“They’re voting against our employments right Bill. They talk the language of workers’ rights online and on doorsteps, but they want to charge people to use the NHS.

“They are not the answer people are looking for. That is not the answer for Britain. And it will never be the answer for Scotland.”

His comments will come as he addresses Scottish Labour conference for the first time since Labour won power in July’s general election.

But the Prime Minister will hit out at John Swinney’s Scottish Government, accusing them of failing to seize the opportunities offered by his Labour administration in Westminster.

The SNP will come under fire for voting against Labour’s budget, with Sir Keir to say the Scottish Government had been given a £47.7 billion settlement that was “the most money ever provided in the devolution era”, providing a “stable foundation for the economy”.

While he will say this cash provides “more money for Scottish schools, more money for Scottish hospitals, more money for Scottish police services, more money for Scotland”, he will condemn the SNP for voting against it, claiming this shows “the same old SNP – gesture politics first, Scotland second”.

Sir Keir will also raise the “possibilities for change” for Scotland if voters elected a Labour government at Holyrood in 2026.

He will tell the conference: “While we will work with whoever the Scottish people elect, just imagine what we could achieve, together.

“Imagine the possibilities for change. If we end the 19-year SNP rule in Scotland as emphatically as we ended 14 years of Tory rule in Britain.

“A Labour government in Westminster, a Labour government in Holyrood, with Anas Sarwar, a Labour first minister.”

A Reform Scotland spokesman said: “Keir Starmer can try and deflect all he wants but the reality is that he is failing Scotland and he is now a deeply unpopular figure here.

“Whilst Labour continue the Tory tradition of failing Scotland in Westminster, Reform offer real change from status quo. Scottish people are sick of Tory and Labour lies.”

The spokesman added: “Scotland is broken, Scotland needs Reform.”


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David
David
6 days ago

Look how Starmer has taken the Labour party to the right of centre!

John Ellis
John Ellis
6 days ago
Reply to  David

My sense is that he judged that was necessary to win an election. And, given that Labour did win last July, he could argue that his judgement was correct.

Though personally I think Labour’s victory was probably more down to the electorate’s complete disgust and disillusion with the last lot!

Brychan
Brychan
6 days ago

Yet he’s off to the United States to doff his cap and grovel to Trump.

Fi yn unig
Fi yn unig
6 days ago
Reply to  Brychan

Firstly, it’s important that Starmer will rag Reform at the Scottish Labour conference today but even more important is going to meet with Trump as if he does not, Trump will choose to recognise the snivelling little butt kissing self appointed ‘interlocutor’ as the UK Prime Minister and in true Don form will sideline the need for elections here as he will have appointed our ‘leader’ for us.

Welshman28
Welshman28
6 days ago

Starmer says ““dangerous right-wing politics” can I ask how he defines “ dangerous left wing dictatorship politics” that we live under NOW under is party .

John Ellis
John Ellis
6 days ago
Reply to  Welshman28

Given the way in which Starmer has repositioned UK Labour since he was elected leader – incidentally, quite contrary to the impression that he created at the time that he was seeking the leadership – your characterization of the current Westminster Labour as exhibiting ‘dangerous left wing dictatorship politics’ is frankly ludicrous.

hdavies15
hdavies15
6 days ago
Reply to  John Ellis

John, in reality there is seldom much difference between dangerous left wing and dangerous right wing. Both trade in platitudes and cliches and are at their most comfortable cosying up to the international corporates and global financial institutions. Regardless of what they may say their dislike of small and medium sized enterprises is palpable, while dishing out funds for the benefit of organisations who are already seriously wealthy seems to be par for the course

John Ellis
John Ellis
6 days ago
Reply to  hdavies15

There’s an argument to be made there, for sure, but that wasn’t really my point.

Neil Anderson
Neil Anderson
6 days ago

Scots beware! Labour in Westminster and Labour in Cardiff (‘working together’ in Starmer’s fantasy) has meant continuing with the Tory emasculation of our liberty, the rollback of devolution, the undermining of our Senedd and governance, the accelerated extraction of our resources in pursuit of Reeves’ growth fetish, serious threats to our NHS and the continuing impoverishment of a substantial proportion of our people… What’s not to resist? Let’s allow England to foul their own nest (and I don’t think for a moment that most of them want this) with their inappropriate ideas, if that’s what they really want… But we… Read more »

Adrian
Adrian
6 days ago

An anti-corruption minister sacked for corruption, transport secretary a convicted fraudster, a business secretary pretending to be a solicitor, Starmer’s Yuletide lockdown tryst with a ‘voice coach’, Reeves’s fictitious CV, and two MPs caught mouthing off on WhatsApp, I’d put your own house in order mate.

Brian
Brian
6 days ago
Reply to  Adrian

No-one cares since Johnson normalised it.

Jeff
Jeff
6 days ago
Reply to  Adrian

What happened to those people? few mistakes but what the heck, I expect that.

vs a bloke that swivel’s faster than a wind vane in a gale wanting to accepting loot from a bloke that snaps off nazi salute for fun and supports an abuser and convicted felon, same abuser who supports a leader that has raped a nation and continues to do so and opens the doors to abusers.

Some choice.

Jeff
Jeff
6 days ago

Farage is a putin admirer, we know this (farages comments and actions). The same putin that carried out a chemical weapons attack on the UK and is now illegally invading a country. farage admires a bloke that does nazi salutes for fun. farage says billionaires should keep out of UK politics, until that nazi saluting billionaire offers farage a massive bung (what morals eh?). farage was late out the block condemning his “hero’s” comments on Zalenski, his hero in the whitehouse, a draft dodger, multiple felon and abuser of women (self confessed and court evidence) and Zalenski stayed in ukraine… Read more »

Charles Coombes
Charles Coombes
6 days ago

Actions or lack of speak louder than words!

Garycymru
Garycymru
5 days ago

We don’t need Mr Tory lite to tell us the obvious. Reform have no place in Wales.

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