Sir Keir Starmer ramped up his attacks on Nigel Farage today saying there is a “battle for the soul of the country”.
The Prime Minister launched a savage attack on Reform as he pushed patriotic renewal against a “toxic divide”.
Sir Keir Starmer today set out the dividing lines ahead of the election in a blistering attack on Reform[/caption]
He made the comments as a mega-poll put Mr Farage’s outfit on the verge of winning a House of Commons majority if an election was held today.
Sir Keir insisted he was now in an “open fight” with Reform which will also be a key issue during his conference speech to the Labour faithful next week in Liverpool.
It was the clearest indication how Sir Keir sees British politics heading ahead of the next election after saying the Conservative Party is “dead”.
He said: “The next election is not going to be the traditional Labour versus Conservative.
“The Conservative party is withering on the vine. I want this to be an open fight now between Labour and Reform.”
He said the UK is at a “crossroads” and there is a “battle for the soul of this country” adding that “we face a very different proposition with Reform and Nigel Farage”.
He said: “And so the battle of our times is between patriotic national renewal in the way I’ve described under a Labour government which is capable of expressing who and what we are as a country accurately.
“And in a way where people feel they’re valued and they belong and that we can actually move forward together, versus something which is turning into a toxic divide.
“That march that we had here two weeks ago in London, in Whitehall – that sent shivers through the spines of many of our communities well away from London, not just those in the immediate vicinity.
“So there’s a battle for the soul of this country now as to what sort of country do we want to be.
“Because that toxic divide, that decline with Reform is built on a sense of grievance, grievance politics, identifying something real for sure, but relying on the problem existing in order for their politics to persist.”
He also launched a thinly-veiled attack on his predecessors saying they have been too “squeamish” to tell the truth on illegal immigration.
The Prime Minister hit out a progressive politicians as he unveiled plans to introduce Digital ID to help with the crackdown.
He was speaking at the Global Progress Action Summit in London outline the proposals set to come in by the end of the decade.
He said: “For too many years, it’s been too easy for people to come here, slip into the shadow economy and remain here illegally because, frankly, we have been squeamish about saying things that are clearly true.”
He said: “It’s not compassionate left-wing politics to rely on labour that exploits foreign workers and undercuts fair wages.
“But the simple fact is that every nation needs to have control over its borders. We do need to know who is in our country.”
He added: “Let me spell it out, you will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID.
“It’s as simple as that because decent, pragmatic, fair-minded people, they want us to tackle the issues that they see around them.”
His announcement comes after he admitted that Labour has previously got it wrong on immigration. He said that the party “did shy away” from voters’ concerns on the matter.
Writing in the Telegraph, the Prime Minister said: “There is no doubt that for years Left-wing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration.
“It has been too easy for people to enter the country, work in the shadow economy and remain illegally.”
He added: “We must be absolutely clear that tackling every aspect of the problem of illegal immigration is essential.”
Sir Keir was once wary too, but has been swayed after warnings, including from French President Emmanuel Macron, in that Britain must act tougher to tackle the small boats crisis.
Similar digital ID schemes have been rolled out in Australia, Estonia and India.
The Prime Minister also said: “I know working people are worried about the level of illegal migration into this country.
“A secure border and controlled migration are reasonable demands, and this government is listening and delivering.
“Digital ID is an enormous opportunity for the UK. It will make it tougher to work illegally in this country, making our borders more secure.
“And it will also offer ordinary citizens countless benefits, like being able to prove your identity to access key services swiftly – rather than hunting around for an old utility bill.”
The plans envisage ID cards being stored on devices in the same way contactless payment cards or the NHS App works.
It would be the authoritative proof of identity and residency status in the UK and include name, date of birth, and a photo as well as information on nationality and residency status.
Cabinet Minister Lisa Nandy said it would make a “significant dent” in the number of people who are able to work illegally because current documents can be too easily falsified.
She said penalties will not change the penalties for failing to check employees’ right to work.
Lisa Nandy says companies will continue to face penalties if they don;t check status of workers[/caption]
Ms Nandy told Times Radio: “Companies already are meant to check on whether people have the right to work in the UK and face penalties for that… they will continue to face those penalties.”
But civil liberties groups have long warned it risks a “surveillance state.” The digital scheme will first go out to consultation and need new laws before it can come in.
