Starmer Describes ‘Fight for the Soul’ of U.K. as Populist Right Rises

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In a speech at an annual Labour conference, the British prime minister will contrast his political project with that of Nigel Farage, whose Reform party promises mass deportations.

Keir Starmer claps his hands as he stands in front of a large red backdrop with the word ‘Britain’ behind him.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain applauding the speech of his chancellor, Rachel Reeves, at the Labour Party’s annual conference on Monday.Credit...Phil Noble/Reuters

Michael D. ShearStephen Castle

Sept. 30, 2025, 8:27 a.m. ET

Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain will denounce what he calls “the politics of grievance” on Tuesday, seeking to revive his plummeting approval numbers with a warning about embracing intolerance that is directly aimed at Reform U.K., the anti-immigration party that has surged in popularity across the country.

With Scottish, Welsh and a fresh set of municipal elections just eight months away, Mr. Starmer will say in his annual speech to Labour Party loyalists that the choice facing British voters between Labour and Reform is a “fork in the road” that will determine the fate of the country’s democracy.

“We can choose decency. Or we can choose division. Renewal or decline,” he will say, according to excerpts from his speech released in advance by his office. “It is a test. A fight for the soul of our country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war.”

Mr. Starmer’s words underscore the political threat to his party from Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform, whose approach to immigration and economics echoes President Trump. Having once described mass deportations as a “political impossibility” in Britain, Mr. Farage recently changed course, presenting a plan to deport hundreds of thousands of people, including some who had previously been granted a long-term right to remain in Britain.

Mr. Starmer does not have to call a general election until 2029, but multiple polls suggest that Reform — an insurgent party with only five members of Parliament — would trounce Labour if an election were held today.

In his speech, Mr. Starmer cast the choice as “a test” for voters. It is one that some of his own allies fear he might not pass.

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Nigel Farage speaks during the Reform U.K. party conference earlier this month. While his party only has five lawmakers in Parliament, it is now leading in opinion polls.Credit...Phil Noble/Reuters

Mr. Farage is not the only hazard for Mr. Starmer’s leadership. Last week, speculation was rife about a potential challenge to him from Andy Burnham, the mayor of Manchester and one of the Labour Party’s more charismatic communicators. The three-day party gathering in Liverpool underlined deep frustrations inside Mr. Starmer’s coalition of supporters about whether he has the ability and communication skills to set a clear political direction and lead the party to a second general election victory.

There are also divisions inside Labour over Israel’s war in Gaza, with some members of Parliament denouncing Mr. Starmer for not more quickly recognizing a Palestinian state and not taking a harder line with Israel’s government to end the killings in the embattled enclave.

Returned to power last year after 14 years in the political wilderness, members of Mr. Starmer’s Labour Party pointed to their achievements during the past 15 months, including cuts to medical waiting lists, investments in education, new rights for renters and workers, and small steps toward renewed cooperation with the European Union.

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A protester holding a Palestinian flag interrupts a speech by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, at the Labour Party conference on Monday.Credit...Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

But they also acknowledged the frustrations of voters who say they are disappointed with the government’s failure to enact the sweeping transformation they promised during the last election. In speeches in the conference hall and in conversations on its sidelines, Labour activists noted the slow pace of change, the stuttering economy and a series of missteps, including botched efforts to make it harder to claim welfare and to cut subsidies for home heating.

Those points were at the heart of Mr. Burnham’s criticism of Mr. Starmer, pointedly made in a series of interviews and remarks in the week leading up to the party conference.

Having broken ranks — and provoked a backlash from some Labour lawmakers — Mr. Burnham played down his leadership ambitions in speeches on the fringes of the conference. He emphasized the practical obstacles in his path if he wanted to replace Mr. Starmer as the party’s leader and the prime minister — elected as a regional mayor, he would first have to resign and then stand for election as a lawmaker in a parliamentary seat. There is no guarantee a suitable vacancy would arise.

“I can’t launch a leadership campaign. I’m not in Parliament. So that is the bottom line,” he said, at an event in a packed bar where he stressed his love for his current job.

Still, in an hourlong question-and-answer session, Mr. Burnham outlined an agenda that was more expansive than Mr. Starmer’s, arguing for changes to the country’s strict government debt rules to permit more public investment, and saying he hoped Britain would rejoin the European Union in his lifetime. (While Mr. Starmer opposed Brexit, he has been careful not to reignite that debate.)

Mr. Starmer’s allies raced to defend him against the challenge from Mr. Burnham. In a fiery speech on Monday, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor of the Exchequer, took aim at the mayor’s call for more spending, without naming him.

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Andy Burnham, who positioned himself as a possible rival to Keir Starmer, attending an event at the Labour Party Conference on Sunday.Credit...Danny Lawson/Press Association, via Associated Press

“I do know that there are still those who peddle the idea that we could just abandon economic responsibility and cast off any constraints on spending,” she said. “They are wrong — dangerously so.”

Against a challenging economic backdrop, many analysts believe that the government’s next test will come in November when Ms. Reeves is scheduled to deliver a budget that is widely expected to raise taxes.

In spite of Labour’s dire position in the polls, the mood was not entirely despondent. A combination of Mr. Burnham’s intervention, the rising threat from Reform and shock at the scale of a recent far-right rally in London appeared to have galvanized many in the party. Several government ministers gave impassioned speeches on Sunday night at a crowded event in a bar.

“We are the disinfectant that is going to clean up the pollution of the far right in our politics,” said Steve Reed, the housing secretary, who added that Labour must “show the people of this country that we are on their side, that we are making the difference that will transform their lives.”

Fighting to be heard amid the hubbub, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, told the party members that “divided parties don’t win elections and we won’t beat Reform if we are arguing among ourselves.”

She also appealed to them to be more vocal in campaigning. “We have got to be out there telling the positive story of what this Labour government is delivering,” she said. “If we don’t make that case, nobody else will.”

Michael D. Shear is a senior Times correspondent covering British politics and culture, and diplomacy around the world.

Stephen Castle is a London correspondent of The Times, writing widely about Britain, its politics and the country’s relationship with Europe.

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