British premier slams Reform UK immigration plan as racist, warns it could tear country apart

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday called far-right Reform UK’s immigration policy “racist” and “immoral,” warning it would “rip this country apart” by targeting migrants who have long lived and worked in Britain.

Starmer, speaking in a BBC interview, was pressed on Reform UK’s pledge to scrap indefinite leave to remain and force those who already hold it to reapply under stricter rules.

“Well, I do think that it is a racist policy. I do think it is immoral. It needs to be called out for what it is,” he said.

Asked whether the party was trying to appeal to racists, Starmer replied:“No, I think there are plenty of people who either vote Reform or are thinking of voting Reform who are frustrated. They had 14 years of failure under the Conservatives, they want us to change things. They may have voted Labour a year ago, and they want the change to come more quickly. I actually do understand that.”

Starmer said his government seeks to represent the entire country:“I want to serve the whole of our country, our beautiful, tolerant, diverse country … Reform not believe in that country. They want to tear that country apart. What was said last week about deporting migrants who are lawfully here, who’ve been here for years working in our hospitals, in our schools, running businesses, our neighbors and Reform say they want to deport them. That would tear our country apart.”

He stressed that such measures are “completely different” from removing people who entered Britain illegally, which Labour has pledged to pursue.

People with indefinite leave to remain, he said, are “our neighbours” and “people who work in our economy”:

“They are part of who we are. It will rip this country apart.”

- Policy details

Starmer also vowed to close asylum hotels earlier than the Conservative administration’s current 2029 target.

“I completely understand the frustration that people have in relation to the hotels — it frustrates me,” he said. “I’m doing everything we can to bring that forward,” though he stopped short of giving a specific deadline.

He criticized the use of taxis to take asylum seekers to general practitioners, saying the journeys waste “hundreds of pounds.”“We will stop it,” he said.

Reform UK’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, responded by accusing Starmer of dismissing public concerns about immigration:“Calling people ‘racist’ for having legitimate concerns about immigration. Fresh new thinking from No 10.”

- Party politics

Meanwhile, a Survation poll for the LabourList website found that 53% of Labour Party members want a change in leadership before the next general election, while 31% said Starmer should stay.