Keir Starmer urges Labour Party unity to fend off Nigel Farage's Reform UK threat
Copyright Danny Lawson/APBy Malek FoudaPublished on 28/09/2025 - EURONEWSStarmer appealed to his Labour Party colleagues to have more trust in the government and display a united house, warning them to prepare for the “fight of our lives” amid Nigel Farage’s poll-topping Reform UK party threat.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged his Labour Party to stop “navel gazing” and display unity amid threats from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has been consistently topping British polls for weeks.
The British premier told his party members as they gathered for their annual conference in Liverpool to unite for the “fight of our lives” and stand for British values amid Reform’s threat, which he said is guided by a “racist policy”.
His government has struggled to ease growing divisions over immigration, fuelled in part by the arrival of thousands of migrants in small boats across the English Channel.
More than 30,000 people have made the dangerous crossing from France so far this year despite efforts by authorities in the UK, France and other countries to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.
Starmer’s government has only been in office for little more than a year, and in recent weeks, has faced many turbulences, leading public opinion of him, and support from within his own party to wane.
The next election is as much as four years away, but as thousands of Labour Party members gathered beside the river Mersey, lawmakers are growing anxious. A potential leadership rival has emerged in Andy Burnham, the ambitious mayor of Manchester.
“Business as usual … ain’t gonna do it. The plan has to change quite radically,” Burnham said. He added that “it’s the plan that matters most, rather than me,” but acknowledged some lawmakers had approached him about a potential leadership bid.
Speaking to UK media, Starmer downplayed the discontent, saying “in politics, there are always going to be comments about leaders and leadership” and insisting the government had “achieved great things in the first year.”
Burnham replacing Starmer could be some way off though as the former shadow home secretary turned big city mayor is not currently a member of British Parliament.
The PM appealed to his colleagues to maintain trust in him and allow his government to weather the storm.
“I just need the space to get on and do what we need to do,” said Starmer.
Since ending 14 years of Conservative rule with his July 2024 election victory, the Labour party leader has struggled to deliver the economic growth he promised.
Inflation remains stubbornly high and the economic outlook subdued, disrupting efforts to repair inefficient public services and ease the burden of a worsening cost of living crisis.
In recent weeks Starmer has lost his deputy prime minister, Angela Rayner, who resigned over a tax error on a home purchase, and fired the Washington Ambassador Peter Mandelson, after news surfaced about his past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
There have also been several exits from his backroom team, adding to a sense of disarray and creating an environment of uncertainty over the future of this government.
And though the UK managed to secure a trade deal with the US easing import duties on some goods, the autumn budget statement in November looks set to be a grim choice between tax increases and spending cuts — or maybe both.
“They’ve only been in government a year and they’ve got a big majority, but most voters seem to be quite disappointed and disillusioned with the government," said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
Bale added that even though the public’s opinion of Keir Starmer is currently “very low”, he believes that the premier’s best move, for now, is to “keep calm and carry on”.
The government does not have to call an election until 2029, but pressure will mount on Starmer if, as many predict, Labour does badly in local and regional elections in May.
Billy Bragg mocks Nigel Farage’s hopes of
being PM on BBC Question Time
'To demonise, particularly the Muslims, this is the sort of thing why we worry about Reform.'
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was brutally mocked on BBC Question Time over his hopes of becoming Prime Minister by musician and activist Billy Bragg.
Farage has continued to make the headlines this week, seeking to whip up a moral panic over migrants and Muslims, without providing proof for any of his ludicrous claims.
Appearing on LBC earlier this week, he refused to condemn President Trump’s claims linking the use of paracetamol to autism.
There is no evidence of a link between pregnant mothers taking paracetamol and the birth of a child with autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD.
Rather than speak the truth, Farage went on to defend the President’s previous claim that illegal immigrants from Haiti were eating domestic cats and dogs in Ohio. Farage is a Trump supporter and the President was also condemned this week for his false and Islamophobic claims about the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, where he told the UN that Khan was a ‘terrible Mayor’ and that he wanted to bring Sharia law into London.
During the LBC interview, Farage said he believed Sharia Law was being introduced to the UK because he had been told so by a taxi driver.
Bragg told the Question Time audience: “After giving the impression he doesn’t trust scientists, he later said in the interview when he was asked by Nick Ferrari, why he believed that Sharia Law was coming to Britain, he said he’d been told by a taxi driver.
“So he was willing to believe a Muslim taxi driver in Buckinghamshire rather than believe the scientific establishment. This guy wants to be prime minister? You must be joking”, leading to much applause.
Reform deputy leader Richard Tice interrupted, and told him: “Billy, there are over 80 Sharia courts in the United Kingdom. Are you aware of that?”
The singer hit back: “Yeah I am, but there are also Jewish courts and that is part of their religion and we, as a tolerant nation, accept that.
“To demonise, particularly the Muslims, this is the sort of thing why we worry about Reform.”
Keir Starmer says Donald Trump’s claim Sadiq Khan wants to bring in Sharia Law is ‘nonsense’
Left Foot Forward
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan against Trump’s attacks, calling his claim that Khan wanted to bring in Sharia law ‘nonsense’.
Trump took aim at Khan during a speech at the UN, where he falsely claimed that London wanted to “go to sharia law” under its “terrible mayor”.
In a rambling speech at the UN, the President launched a scathing attack on the global body, where he called for countries to close their borders and expel foreigners as well as calling climate change a ‘con job’.
He then took aim at London’s Muslim mayor, saying: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed. Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
His comments were condemned by a number of Labour MPs, with Khan himself calling Trump ‘racist, sexist and Islamophobic’.
The Prime Minister has called Trump’s comments ‘nonsense’.
Sir Keir said: “I’m not going to get drawn into a war of words, but what I will say is this, because it is important.
“You saw from the state visit last week that there are plenty of things on which the president and I agree, and we are working together.
“There are some issues on which we disagree, and what the president said about the mayor, who’s doing a really good job, in fact driving down serious crime, what he said about the introduction of Sharia law was ridiculous nonsense.
“I support our mayor, I’m really proud of the fact we have a Muslim mayor of a very diverse city.
“We do work with the Americans on a huge number of issues. On this issue I disagree, and I stand with our mayor.”
Sadiq Khan rips into Trump after President’s Islamophobic comments: ‘He Is Racist, Sexist and Islamophobic’
Speaking to Sky News, Khan said he appeared to be living rent free in Trump’s head.
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has hit out at Donald Trump after the U.S. President once more targeted him with false claims, in what is his strongest rebuke yet of the Republican.
Trump took aim at Khan during a speech at the UN, where he falsely claimed that London wanted to “go to sharia law” under its “terrible mayor”.
In a rambling speech at the UN, the President launched a scathing attack on the global body, where he called for countries to close their borders and expel foreigners as well as calling climate change a ‘con job’.
He then took aim at London’s Muslim mayor, saying: “I look at London, where you have a terrible mayor, terrible, terrible mayor, and it’s been changed, it’s been so changed. Now they want to go to sharia law. But you are in a different country, you can’t do that.”
His comments were condemned by a number of Labour MPs and now Khan has responded himself calling Trump ‘racist, sexist and Islamophobic’.
Speaking to Sky News, Khan said he appeared to be living rent free in Trump’s head.
He said: “People are wondering what it is about this Muslim mayor who leads a liberal, multicultural, progressive, successful city that means I appear to be living rent free inside Donald Trump’s head.”
Asked if he thought the comments were Islamophobic, Khan replied: “I think President Trump has shown he is racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic and he is Islamophobic”.
On Trump’s accusations that he is a “terrible mayor”, Khan just said he was “thankful” there were rising numbers of Americans relocating to London.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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