When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about the future of Britain? The (rhetorical) question, posed by Keir Starmer at the ruling Labour Party conference in Liverpool, is indicative of who the British prime minister considers his main political opponent.
However, it is not the only challenge he faces, as the opposition within the party is intensifying its criticism in the wake of a series of scandals and with just a few months left before the general elections in Scotland and Wales.
Farage, Farage, Farage
Starmer’s speech was largely focused on the attempt to dismantle the leader of the far-right ReformUK, whom he called a “fraud”. “He doesn’t like Britain and he doesn’t believe in it,” he said, among other things, and at the same time accused him of “surviving politically on misery” and wanting to turn Britain into “a country of victims.” Farage responded by calling the specific statement “disgraceful” and warned that he was more determined to punish Labour at the ballot box.
“We will teach him a lesson next May that British political history will not forget,” were his exact words, which were accompanied by the accusation that the prime minister “is in a state of denial about the situation and the out-of-control crime.”
The reason for the sharp confrontation between the two men is easily explained by recent poll findings. These record not only ReformUK’s lead, but also its ever-increasing upward trajectory, as the party “flirts” with 30% and seems to have established a safe distance from both Labour and the Conservatives.
In fact – as the same numbers show – Farage and his party are managing to penetrate beyond the traditional Tory voters, into the traditional working class base, a fact that is attributed to the combination of a policy that favors increasing benefit support for large families with traditional reindustrialization, over investments in “green energy”.
In this context, the choice of Starmer and other Labour leaders such as Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, who did not hesitate to name Farage as “the greatest threat” to citizens’ living standards, comparing his promises with the policies of Conservative Prime Minister Liz Truss and alluding to “fiscal responsibility”, is at first glance understandable. However, it is negated by the rhetoric adopted by the occupant of 10 Downing Street and his associates on the issue of immigration.
Contradictions
On the issue, the harsher positions are now evident, even if they are contrary to the party’s general socialist philosophy. The government’s immigration plans were outlined at the conference by the (ironically, a descendant of Pakistani immigrants) Home Affairs Minister, Shabana Mahmood, summarizing the ministry’s new plans as a “good citizen” test. The reason for this nickname is that from now on, immigrants who wish to be granted settled status must speak fluent English, work, pay taxes, and volunteer in their communities.
At the same time, the time required before granting permanent residence will double from 5 to 10 years. At the same time, in a statement that was perceived as a blatant contradiction of the government’s actions, the Prime Minister did not hesitate to characterize the immigration proposal of ReformUK “racist”, claiming that it has a plan for mass deportations if it takes power.
This is a high-risk and dubiously effective strategy to contain the Far Right, which is viewed with skepticism by the left wing of the party. The latter points out that the leadership of the historic center-left party in its attempt to repatriate voters by tightening immigration rules appears too conservative, thus losing to its “left”, as the Liberal Democrats and Greens show small but steady gains. Others point out that any tactic is meaningless if the long-standing rivals do not recover in the long term. “It does not help us that the Tories are dead, we need to share the right-wing vote,” a Labour MP told the BBC on condition of anonymity.
In this context, the mayor of Manchester and former minister, Andy Burnham, is developing into a powerful pole of internal party controversy. “There is a climate of fear within the party about how we discuss certain issues in the Labour Party,” stressed Burnham, who supports re-joining the EU and underlines that the government must regain political control from the markets.
In fact, in a YouGov poll among party members, he is preferred by 62% of respondents compared to just 29% of Starmer, who, among other things, in recent weeks has seen Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner resign due to a tax scandal and fired Ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson, after news emerged about his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
