UK Prime Minister Starmer Labels Reform UK Immigration Policy Racist at Labour Conference

Sir Keir Starmer, the UK Prime Minister and Labour leader, has strongly condemned Reform UK's immigration policy as 'racist' and 'immoral,' particularly criticizing their plan to scrap indefinite leave to remain (ILR), which would affect legal migrants currently allowed to settle in the UK without visa renewals. Starmer emphasized that while removing illegal migrants is acceptable, targeting lawfully residing migrants disrupts communities and risks tearing the country apart. Despite his criticism of Reform UK's policies, he acknowledged the frustration among voters who support Reform, attributing it to dissatisfaction with prolonged Conservative governance. At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Starmer called for unity within Labour to counter the Reform threat and dismissed speculation about his leadership being at risk. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also indicated intentions to tighten ILR rules to ensure migrants contribute to their communities, though emphasised the importance of legal migration. Reform UK's policy proposes banning non-UK citizens from benefits and imposing stricter citizenship rules, which could impact hundreds of thousands, though they have exempted EU citizens with settled status from some measures.