Keir Starmer has said that a “government of service” can counter the rise of right-wing sentiment in the UK.
The prime minister, who conducted a series of interviews with regional radio stations on Thursday, also reiterated his view the he is “worried” about the rise of the far right.
Far right disorder erupted on England’s streets in August following the spread of misinformation about the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport. False speculation suggested the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat.
Speaking to ITV Calendar, Starmer was questioned on the language politicians use in relation to immigration and asylum, and whether political rhetoric contributed to the unrest seen over the summer.
The prime minister initially stressed the importance of getting the disorder “under control”, explaining how the government had “made sure we put the police in the right place”.
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Starmer added: “It was very important to send the message that if you’re rioting, if you’re throwing things, if you’re trying to set fire to buildings on a Saturday or Sunday, by the end of the week, you’re likely to be starting a significant prison term as really important message.”
“And I think it’s because we were able to deliver that so swiftly and so firmly that we got the situation under control. And let that be a lesson to anybody who wants to involve themselves in disorder ever again, because we’ll deal with it in the same way.”
Asked if political rhetoric around migration contributed to the riots, the prime minister urged politicians to be “really careful” with their language.
He said: “I think politicians need to be really careful about the language that they use. I accept that, you know, on issues like immigration, there are concerns across the country which need to be resolved.
“But I will never accept that that sort of disorder, that sort of violence is a way of settling any of those issues and it will not keep belonging to bit of difference to government policy.”
Asked if he regretted any of his own language used during the election, Starmer insisted that he stands by his view that migration is “too high and needs to come down”.
He added: “I think we should be able to have a debate about that. This has got nothing to do with disorder. And I think anybody who’s conflating the two is making a huge mistake”.
Asked whether right-wing sentiment is on the rise in the UK, Starmer said: “I’m worried about right-wing sentiment. And we see it not just in this country, but in other countries. I think we have to meet that.
“And the way to meet that, in my view, is to have a government of service which delivers on its promises. And I promised that we would improve living standards. So people feel better.”
Josh Self is Editor of Politics.co.uk, follow him on X/Twitter here.
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