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Historical racial prejudice has come back within UK politics, which makes people feel very scared, Keir Starmer warned, alerting that divisive far-right political tactics are “dividing the nation”.

Confronting Racist Rhetoric and Divisive Politics

Speaking to GP and TV personality a well-known TV doctor, the prime minister pointed to the Reform UK party of overseeing a return of discriminatory and divisive political discourse which many believed was resolved decades ago”.

In the interview, broadcast on ITV’s Lorraine show on Tuesday, the PM provided a clear indication that the limit on child benefits would be lifted during the upcoming fiscal announcement later this month.

Commitment to Reduce Poverty Among Children

When questioned if he would scrap this restriction, as noted by advocacy groups is a major cause of poverty for children in the UK, Starmer said: “I can tell you in no uncertain terms I am committed to reduce child poverty.”

He outlined measures ministers have already introduced such as free school meals, breakfast clubs, and childcare and emphasized: “We need to do more than that, and I can look you in the eye and tell you I will personally focus to driving down child poverty.”

When pressed about if his remarks indicated he intended to remove the two-child limit, Starmer stated he “wouldn’t be telling you we plan to reduce poverty among children without being sure that measures will be introduced various actions for that purpose”.

Strong Signals from the Chancellor

The Chancellor, gave a similarly clear signal earlier this week when she told BBC Radio 5 Live how “in the end, children must not be punished if their parents are struggling financially”.

Ministers are understood to be preparing to scrap the restriction fully, after initially considering phasing it out either for very large families or richer ones. An economic thinktank projects the expense would be about £3.5bn in the coming years.

Political Divide and National Renewal

During the discussion, the Prime Minister said the political divide in the UK now was between the government’s vision for renewal and Reform’s harmful divisiveness and others on the right who were “dividing the nation”.

“Some of the rhetoric being used – racist rhetoric, polarizing language – that frankly I thought was resolved long ago has reemerged in political debate and citizens are fearful,” he stated.

“We have to stand up to that racism, that division, and declare confidently that British identity involves caring for others, requires rationality, entails tolerance and kindness, which we value deeply.”

Echoing Concerns from Wes Streeting

Starmer echoed language expressed by the Health Secretary, who warned recently that an “ugly” racism similar to past decades was now worryingly commonplace again with NHS staff were primary targets of it.

The health secretary said occurrences of both verbal and physical attacks based on people’s skin colour now happened so often making it “acceptable to express racism”.

“It is time to put a stop on racism across the UK and we need to place such harmful attitudes that has emerged nationally where it belongs and reestablish an environment across Britain where racism is unacceptable to hold racist views,” the Health Secretary said.

Critical Decision for the Public

The Prime Minister used his speech at the Labour party conference in September to draw political battle lines between himself and Farage, saying that voters confronted a crucial decision.

He explained he was involved in a “fight for the soul of our country”, and argued although voters had “reasonable” concerns about illegal migration, existed “a moral line” that Farage and others had overstepped.

The PM vowed to “fight” those who argued that people who were not white could not be English or British and that households who had lived in Britain for years should be deported, saying those advocating these ideas constituted “an enemy of national renewal”.

“If you incite racist violence and hostility, that goes beyond concern: it is illegal. Our political movement is proud of our flags, yet if they are painted with hateful messages, targeting a business owner to leave the country, that is not patriotism; that is pure discrimination,” he told activists.