Starmer says Britain may not survive as ‘tolerant, diverse country’ if Reform UK takes power
Keir Starmer has said that, while he could “sleep at night” with the Tories in power, if Reform UK were to win the election, Britain would not survive as a “tolerant, diverse country”.
He was speaking in an interview with the Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, in which he delivered some of his strongest warnings yet about the prospect of Nigel Farage winning the next election.
Starmer described Reform UK as ‘a party that is pro-Putin or Putin-neutral”, and he said there was “no way on earth” that Britain would be part of the ‘coalition of the willing’ supporting Ukraine with Farage as PM.
But Starmer also said that his concerns about Reform went well beyond that.
We would tear apart our country with their propositions for not actually respecting the tolerant, diverse country that we are. And they’ve got no ideas on the economy whatsoever.
And my worry is, and this is how history tells us, is that a rightwing proposition like that, with fantastical ideas, leaning towards Russia, if it gets into power, it will find that its policies don’t work, and it won’t become more progressive, it won’t nudge towards the centre, it’ll be go to the right, to the right, to the right. We’ve not faced that in this country ever in this form, and it is the political fight of our times and we have to win that political fight.
In what seemed to be more of a reference to past Conservative governments than to Kemi Badenoch, Starmer said:
If there is a Conservative government I can sleep at night. If there was a right-wing government in the United Kingdom, that would be a different proposition.
And we have to prove between now and the next election, that progressive national renewal, patriotism, central … centrist politics can meet the challenges of the day …
If we fail that test, this country is going to move to the right in a way that many of us think would challenge the very essence of who we are as a nation.
Asked if he agreed with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, who has described this moment as “the last chance” for the centre in his country, Starmer replied:
Yes. I think this is the real test of centrist politics.
Asked what would happen if Reform were to win, Starmer said:
Well, where to begin? Firstly, their economics is pure fantasy. They’ve just got billions and billions of pounds that they say they will either spend or save without any plans to do so.
Secondly, they do not want to live in the tolerant, diverse country that we are. I’m proud that we’re a diverse, tolerant, compassionate, live-and-let-live country, and I want to represent all parts of that.
With Reform, with their policy, which was to reach in to people who’ve been lawfully in this country for years and deport them, that’s their policy, they would tear our country apart, because these are the people that work in our schools, in our hospitals, that run businesses, who are our neighbours.
Key events
£9m gift to Reform UK highlights ‘alarming trend’ of parties getting ever larger donations from the very rich, ERS warns
The Electoral Reform Society has issued a new statement in response to the news about Reform UK getting a £9m donation (see 12.41pm), saying this is part of an “alarming trend” involving parties getting every larger donations from single individuals.
Jess Garland, director of policy and research at the ERS, said:
We are seeing an alarming trend of parties receiving larger and larger donations from single super wealthy donors and the public are rightly asking what these very rich people expect in return for their money.
The UK is uniquely exposed in this new era of mega donors as we do not even have a donations cap meaning parties can receive unlimited sums.
The government urgently needs to reform our party finance laws to ensure that political parties are focused on bettering the lives of voters not super rich donors.
The Local Goverment Information Unit (LGiU), a thinktank for the sector, has strongly criticised the decision to delay four inaugural mayoral elections. In a statement, Jonathan Carr-West, its chief executive, said
The government set out a clear and ambitious timetable for devolution that until this week they were insisting was still on track. Councils have moved mountains to meet every single deadline presented to them. Many will be wondering what has changed?
Across the country, so many colleagues in the sector have been working hard on devolution – including on preparation for mayoral elections – and it’s simply not fair to keep chopping and changing. It’s essential that the government now sets out a definitive timetable for devolution and local government reorganisation, including (crucially) final confirmation of whether county and district council elections will take place in DPP [devolution priority programme] areas next May.
Today’s ministerial statement still includes too many phrases like “minded to” or “as soon as possible” – the government must set out a clear plan and stick to it. Councils and our communities deserve that.
Starmer says Britain may not survive as ‘tolerant, diverse country’ if Reform UK takes power
Keir Starmer has said that, while he could “sleep at night” with the Tories in power, if Reform UK were to win the election, Britain would not survive as a “tolerant, diverse country”.
He was speaking in an interview with the Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, in which he delivered some of his strongest warnings yet about the prospect of Nigel Farage winning the next election.
Starmer described Reform UK as ‘a party that is pro-Putin or Putin-neutral”, and he said there was “no way on earth” that Britain would be part of the ‘coalition of the willing’ supporting Ukraine with Farage as PM.
But Starmer also said that his concerns about Reform went well beyond that.
We would tear apart our country with their propositions for not actually respecting the tolerant, diverse country that we are. And they’ve got no ideas on the economy whatsoever.
And my worry is, and this is how history tells us, is that a rightwing proposition like that, with fantastical ideas, leaning towards Russia, if it gets into power, it will find that its policies don’t work, and it won’t become more progressive, it won’t nudge towards the centre, it’ll be go to the right, to the right, to the right. We’ve not faced that in this country ever in this form, and it is the political fight of our times and we have to win that political fight.
In what seemed to be more of a reference to past Conservative governments than to Kemi Badenoch, Starmer said:
If there is a Conservative government I can sleep at night. If there was a right-wing government in the United Kingdom, that would be a different proposition.
And we have to prove between now and the next election, that progressive national renewal, patriotism, central … centrist politics can meet the challenges of the day …
If we fail that test, this country is going to move to the right in a way that many of us think would challenge the very essence of who we are as a nation.
Asked if he agreed with Friedrich Merz, the German chancellor, who has described this moment as “the last chance” for the centre in his country, Starmer replied:
Yes. I think this is the real test of centrist politics.
Asked what would happen if Reform were to win, Starmer said:
Well, where to begin? Firstly, their economics is pure fantasy. They’ve just got billions and billions of pounds that they say they will either spend or save without any plans to do so.
Secondly, they do not want to live in the tolerant, diverse country that we are. I’m proud that we’re a diverse, tolerant, compassionate, live-and-let-live country, and I want to represent all parts of that.
With Reform, with their policy, which was to reach in to people who’ve been lawfully in this country for years and deport them, that’s their policy, they would tear our country apart, because these are the people that work in our schools, in our hospitals, that run businesses, who are our neighbours.
Phillipson tells MPs full safeguarding review will take place after ‘sickening’ case of paedophile nursery worker
Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has told MPs that the government will strengthen the ways children are kept safe after the “sickening case” of paedophile nursery worker Vincent Chan.
In a statement to the Commons, Phillipson said a full local child practice safeguarding review will take place.
She said: “All of us here and people across our country will wish to join with me in expressing our horror at hearing of these appalling crimes.”
Phillipson said a rapid review was conducted “to establish the facts”, adding:
A full local child safeguarding practice review is warranted, which is being set up immediately.
I am clear that this wider review must shine the strongest possible light on these horrifying incidents and that we learn every lesson we can to make sure that crimes like this are guarded against at every step and every stage.
Reform UK received £50,000 from Lady Rothermere, wife of the Daily Mail’s owner, figures show
Yesterday Sam Freedman published a very good post on his Substack blog on six lessons to be learned from the 2024 general election. It was based on data in a new book, The British General Election of 2024, which is written by four academics and is the latest in the series of authoritative “Nuffield” guides to British elections going back to 1945. Reading it, Freeman said he had forgotten how critical the rightwing papers were of Reform UK last summer.
Reform also faced a barrage of attacks from the right-wing press during the 2024 campaign. I’d forgotten quite how hard the Daily Mail, in particular, went for them in an attempt to protect the Tories. [The book says:] “[The Mail published an] editorial entitled ‘A Worrying Reform’ dismissed what it called the party’s ‘threadbare’ policies (10 June 2024), while its manifesto was derided as ‘fantasy economics’ (18 June 2024). As columnist Andrew Neil put it, the ‘Reform crackpot ‘contract’ has all the rigour of maths done on the back of a Farage fag packet after a two-bottle lunch’ (Daily Mail, 18 June 2024)”
As Freeman says, it is not going to be like that at the next election.
And that is why, in the Electoral Commission figures out today, almost as interesting as the £9m donation to Reform UK from Christopher Harborne (see 10.29am) is the £50,000 donation to the party from Claudia Harmsworth, aka Lady Rothermere, the wife of the owner of the Daily Mail.
As Michael Savage and Mark Sweney pointed out in a good profile at the weekend, Lord Rothermere himself subscribes to a “gentler, more pro-European conservatism” than the version you will find in his papers. But his wife seems to be more pro-Farage, and his Mail titles seem to be going that way too.
Swinney defends review of grooming gangs evidence in Scotland as Tories call for full inquiry
Libby Brooks
Libby Brooks is the Guardian’s Scotland correspondent.
First minister’s questions were dominated by the Scottish government’s announcement yesterday afternoon of a review of evidence on the operation of grooming gangs in Scotland – which will inform any future decision on whether or not to hold a judge-led public inquiry.
It will be carried out by the Care Inspectorate, the Inspectorate of Constabulary and Education, and Healthcare Improvement Scotland – oversight bodies which are independent of the government and the review will be overseen by Prof Alexis Jay, who led the inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham.
But Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said this amounted to organisations “marking their own homework” and fell short of a full independent inquiry.
John Swinney, the first minister, said his government was taking the issue seriously by embarking on the “important investigative and exploratory work” to decide whether a full inquiry was necessary and welcomed Jay’s appointment.
Scottish Labour MP Joani Reid, who has been campaigning for an independent inquiry for months, called for Jay to be given “full authority” to shape the review. She said:
If ministers were serious, they would have commissioned a straightforward, fully independent rapid review – exactly as England did.
Instead, they’ve chosen the most complicated, most politically controlled route possible because they still can’t admit fault.
Prof Jay must be given full authority, full access and complete freedom to shape this review. Anything less will fail survivors and fail Scotland.
Gina Miller, the campaigner who launched successful legal challenges against the last Tory government over using article 50 to start the Brexit process, and over the prorogation of parliament, has also said the £9m donation to Reform UK shows why a cap on donations is needed. She says:
For years I’ve been saying that there needs to be caps on political donations of £50,000
A mega-bucks donation of £9m to Reform from a cryptocurrency bro must have strings attached!
With the #ElectionsBill going through parliament, there’s a golden opportunity to clean up our politics and rebuild trust, through such a reform and others eg regulating political advertising, closing donor loopholes and misleading information
Record £9m gift to Reform UK prompts renewed calls for government to impose cap on political donations
Following the news today that Reform UK has received £9m in a single donation (see 10.29am), the Electoral Reform Society has renewed its call for a cap to be placed on donations to political parties. It says:
Today, Reform UK were given £9,000,000, their largest single donation ever, and the largest donation ever from a living donor. In recent years, donations of over a million have become common across the political spectrum – it’s time for a cap on donations
In a blog on its website, Doug Cowan, its head of digital, said:
In the UK today, there is still no legal limit on how much a single donor can give to a political party each year. That simple fact shapes our politics in profound ways. When unlimited money flows into campaigns from a small group of exceptionally wealthy individuals, it becomes harder for the rest of us to get our voices heard.
Introducing a clear cap on political donations is one of the most effective steps we could take to rebuild trust. With the upcoming elections bill, the government has an opportunity to put a donations cap into law.
Asked about the donation in the Commons, Miatta Fahnbulleh, the local government minister, said the elections bill will tighten the rules on donations to political parties. (See 11.25am.)
The elections bill has not been published yet. But the government has released a policy paper outlining what will be in the bill, and it did not propose a cap. Some campaigners, like Spotlight on Corruption (here) said much tougher rules were needed.
Foreign Office says Russian military intelligence agency being sanctioned in its entirety after Dawn Sturgess report
The Foreign Office has announced that the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU, has been sanctioned in its entirety in the light of the report from the inquiry into the death of Dawn Strugess. (See 12.12pm.)
The FCDO is also sanctioning and exposing 11 individuals involved in the attack. It says:
The GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, is now sanctioned in its entirety by the UK. GRU agents carry out Putin’s bidding, seeking to destabilise Ukraine and attempting to sow chaos and disorder across Europe. The action comes as the Dawn Sturgess Inquiry publishes its final report into the tragic circumstances surrounding Dawn Sturgess’s death in Salisbury in 2018.
Today’s sanctions also zero in on eight cyber military intelligence officers for working for the GRU, the organisation which was responsible for cyber operations targeting Yulia Skripal with X-agent malware and, five years later, the attempted murder of Yulia and her father on UK soil.
The Russian ambassador is also being summoned to the Foreign Office “to answer for Russia’s ongoing campaign of hostile activity against the UK”.
Putin is ‘morally responsible’ for Dawn Sturgess’s novichok death, inquiry finds
Vladimir Putin is “morally responsible” for the death of a British woman killed after she sprayed herself with a nerve agent smuggled into the UK by Russian agents to assassinate a former spy, an inquiry has concluded. Steven Morris and Caroline Bannock have the story.
