'Racist, immoral': Starmer on Farage's Reform deportation plan
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PM Keir Starmer condemns the Reform UK’s plan to deport thousands of people already legally living in the UK, warning it would “tear the country apart."
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UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer listens during a panel discussion at the Progress Global Action Summit in London on September 26, 2025 (AP)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has strongly condemned Reform UK’s plan to deport thousands of people already legally living in the UK, calling it a “racist” and “immoral” policy that would risk “tearing the country apart.”
Speaking at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool, Starmer warned that the Reform’s proposal to revoke settlement rights for migrants who have lived and worked in the UK legally for five years would endanger tens of thousands of people and destabilize communities.
“It is one thing to say we’re going to remove illegal migrants, people who have no right to be here. I’m up for that,” Starmer told the BBC. “It is a completely different thing to say we are going to reach in to people who are lawfully here and start removing them. They are our neighbours. They’re people who work in our economy. They are part of who we are. It will rip this country apart.”
Labour pushes back against populist right
While acknowledging that many considering voting for Nigel Farage’s Reform party are motivated by frustration with 14 years of Conservative government, Starmer said targeting settled migrants was beyond the pale.
“I do think it is a racist policy. I do think it is immoral. It needs to be called out for what it is,” he said.
The prime minister also faced questions about his leadership, following polling that suggested Labour could lose ground to Reform and be reduced to 90 Commons seats. Starmer dismissed speculation over internal challenges, insisting his focus remained on delivering change.
Mahmood floats stricter settlement rules
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood indicated the government may consider new criteria for indefinite leave to remain, tying settlement not only to work and income but also to community contributions.
Citing her own parents’ experience migrating from Kashmir in the 1970s, she said, “They did more than simply work and earn a salary. They settled, they made a contribution to the local community, they were volunteers, they got involved in local politics.”
Digital ID, education reform
Starmer also defended Labour’s plan for a new digital ID system to tackle illegal working, arguing it would provide “automatic collection of information” and help enforce employment rules.
Pressed on special education rights, he said Labour did not seek to strip existing entitlements but stressed the need for reforms to improve the system.
