Starmer Calls Farage Racist, Pledges Reforms

At Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Keir Starmer delivered a rousing speech urging unity and casting the contest with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK as a choice between “decency” and “division.” He directly attacked Nigel Farage, calling him “racist,” and denounced Reform’s mass‑deportation proposals as immoral. Starmer set out pledges on workers’ rights, renters’ reform, NHS funding, apprenticeships and a growth agenda aimed at benefiting grassroots communities, while warning national renewal will be long and difficult. He signaled tough fiscal choices ahead, with ministers acknowledging possible tax rises to plug budget gaps. The address was intended to reassert his authority amid record‑low approval ratings, a surge in Reform polling, and internal restiveness involving figures such as Andy Burnham and Angela Rayner. Labour is using the conference and the upcoming budget to try to reset the narrative ahead of May’s local and regional elections and the long run to 2029.