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Long-standing racial prejudice has come back within UK the political arena, which makes people feel fearful, Keir Starmer warned, cautioning how divisive far-right politics are “tearing our country apart”.

Confronting Racist Language and Harmful Strategies

Speaking to doctor and media figure Amir Khan, the prime minister pointed to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK of overseeing the revival of racist and divisive political discourse which many believed was resolved years back”.

During the discussion, which aired on ITV’s Lorraine show on Tuesday, Starmer provided his strongest signal suggesting the two-child benefit cap would be lifted in the budget later this month.

Promise to Reduce Poverty Among Children

Asked whether he planned to eliminate this restriction, as noted by advocacy groups is the biggest driver of poverty for children across Britain, Starmer responded: “I want to state unequivocally I am committed to reduce child poverty.”

He outlined measures the government has already launched such as no-cost school lunches, morning meal programs, and child care support and emphasized: “We need to do more than that, and I assure you and tell you I am personally committed to driving down child poverty.”

When pressed about if his comments meant he intended to remove the two-child cap, Starmer said “I would not say we aim to lower child poverty if I wasn’t clear that we will be taking several steps for that purpose”.

Strong Indications from Rachel Reeves

The Chancellor, provided an equally strong hint on Monday when she told a national radio station that ultimately, a child should not be penalised because their parents don’t have very much money”.

Government officials are getting ready to scrap the restriction fully, having originally looked at gradual removal for bigger households or wealthier families. The Resolution Foundation projects this would cost roughly £3.5 billion in the coming years.

Political Divide and Country’s Revival

During the discussion, the Prime Minister said the ideological split in the UK now existed between Labour’s “patriotic national renewal” versus “the toxic division of Reform” and other right-wing groups who were “tearing our country apart”.

“Certain language currently circulating – discriminatory talk, divisive rhetoric – which I believed we had dealt with decades ago has reemerged in political debate and it makes people feel very scared,” he stated.

“We have to stand up such discrimination, that divisiveness, and declare confidently that British identity means showing empathy, is about being fair, is to be tolerant and kindness, and we’re proud of that.”

Reflecting Warnings from the Health Secretary

The prime minister echoed language expressed by the Health Secretary, who warned earlier this month that an “ugly” racism similar to past decades had become alarmingly frequent once more and that NHS staff were bearing the brunt of it.

Streeting noted incidents of verbal and physical abuse based on people’s skin colour had become so frequent that it was now “acceptable to express racism”.

“It is time to put a stop to discrimination in this country and we need to place such harmful attitudes that’s found expression in our country back in its box and once again create a climate in this country that rejects racism to hold racist views,” the Health Secretary said.

Defining Choice for Voters

The Prime Minister spoke during a major political gathering this autumn to outline clear divisions with his political opponents, stating that the public faced a “defining choice”.

He said he was involved in a “fight for the soul of our country”, and argued although the public had “reasonable” concerns about illegal migration, existed “a moral line” that Farage and others had crossed.

The PM vowed to confront anyone claiming that people who were not white did not belong and that families residing in the UK for generations must be removed, saying those advocating these ideas constituted “against national unity”.

“If you incite racist violence and hatred, that is not expressing concern: it is illegal. This party – this great party – is proud of our flags, yet if they are painted alongside graffiti, targeting a business owner to ‘go home’, that is not patriotism; that’s racism,” he informed activists.