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Decades-old racism is resurfacing to British politics, which leaves citizens fearful, Keir Starmer warned, cautioning that polarizing hard-right politics was “dividing the nation”.

Tackling Racist Language and Harmful Politics

In conversation with doctor and media figure a well-known TV doctor, Starmer pointed to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK of overseeing a return of discriminatory and divisive political discourse “that frankly I thought we had dealt with decades ago”.

During the discussion, broadcast on a popular morning program on Tuesday, the PM also gave a clear indication that the two-child benefit cap might be scrapped during the upcoming fiscal announcement later this month.

Promise to Combat Poverty Among Children

Asked if he planned to eliminate the limit, which charities have said is a major cause of child poverty across Britain, the Prime Minister responded: “Let me be perfectly clear I am determined to lower poverty rates for kids.”

He outlined steps the government has already launched including free school meals, morning meal programs, and childcare and emphasized: “Further action is necessary, and I can look you in the eye that I am dedicated on reducing child poverty.”

Pressed about if his comments meant he would lift the two-child limit, he said “I would not say we are going to drive down poverty among children without being sure that we will implement a number of measures in order to do so”.

Clear Indications from the Chancellor

The Chancellor, gave a similarly clear signal on Monday when she told BBC Radio 5 Live that finally, children must not be punished if their parents are struggling financially”.

Ministers are understood to be preparing to remove the cap completely, after initially considering ways to taper it for bigger households or richer ones. An economic thinktank has estimated the expense would be roughly £3.5 billion by the end of the decade.

Ideological Split and National Renewal

In the interview, Starmer said the political divide currently in Britain was between Labour’s “patriotic national renewal” versus “the toxic division of Reform” and other right-wing groups who were “dividing the nation”.

“Some of the rhetoric we’re hearing – discriminatory talk, divisive rhetoric – that many assumed had been addressed in the past is coming back into politics and citizens are fearful,” he said.

“It is essential to oppose such discrimination, that divisiveness, and affirm with pride that to be British involves caring for others, is about being fair, is to be tolerant and compassionate, and we’re proud of that.”

Echoing Concerns from the Health Secretary

The prime minister echoed sentiments expressed by the Health Secretary, who warned earlier this month how an “ugly” racism similar to the 1970s and 1980s had become alarmingly frequent once more with healthcare workers were facing the worst of this trend.

Streeting noted incidents of verbal and physical abuse based on people’s skin colour had become so frequent that it had become “tolerated to hold racist views”.

“It is time to put a stop on racism in this country and we’ve got to put that ugly racist sentiment that has emerged nationally where it belongs and reestablish an environment across Britain where racism is unacceptable to hold racist views,” Streeting said.

Critical Decision for the Public

Starmer spoke during a major political gathering this autumn to outline political battle lines with his political opponents, saying that the public faced a “defining choice”.

He explained he was involved in a “fight for the soul of our country”, and argued although the public expressed valid worries about illegal migration, there was an ethical boundary that Farage and others had crossed.

Starmer vowed to challenge those claiming that people who were not white were not truly British and that households residing in Britain for years should be deported, saying people promoting such views were “against national unity”.

“If you incite racial attacks and hostility, that goes beyond concern: it’s criminal. This party – this great party – is proud of our flags, but if they are displayed alongside graffiti, telling a Chinese takeaway owner to leave the country, that’s not pride; that’s racism,” he informed supporters.