đ Share this article Xenophobia Returning in British Political Landscape, Leaving People Deeply Concerned, the Prime Minister Says Long-standing racism has come back to British the political arena, which makes people feel deeply uneasy, the Prime Minister emphasized, alerting how polarizing hard-right political tactics are âsplitting the UKâ. Tackling Racist Rhetoric and Divisive Strategies Speaking with doctor and media figure Amir Khan, Starmer pointed to Nigel Farageâs Reform UK for enabling the revival to racist and divisive political discourse which many believed was resolved decades agoâ. In the interview, broadcast on ITVâs Lorraine show on Tuesday, Starmer also gave a clear indication suggesting the two-child benefit cap might be scrapped in the budget in the coming weeks. Commitment to Reduce Child Poverty When questioned if he planned to eliminate the limit, as noted by advocacy groups is the biggest driver of poverty for children across Britain, the Prime Minister said: âI can tell you in no uncertain terms I am committed to drive child poverty down.â He outlined measures ministers have already introduced including free school meals, breakfast clubs, and childcare and emphasized: âFurther action is necessary, and I pledge that I am personally committed to driving down child poverty.â When pressed on whether his comments indicated he would lift the two-child cap, he said he âwouldnât be telling you we aim to lower poverty among children if I wasnât clear that measures will be introduced various actions to achieve thisâ. Clear Signals from the Chancellor Rachel Reeves, gave a similarly clear signal on Monday when she told a national radio station that ultimately, children must not be punished due to their familyâs financial situationâ. Ministers are getting ready to remove the cap completely, after initially considering phasing it out either for very large families or richer ones. An economic thinktank projects the expense would be roughly ÂŁ3.5 billion in the coming years. Political Divide and National Renewal In the interview, Starmer explained the ideological split currently in Britain existed between the governmentâs vision for renewal versus âthe toxic division of Reformâ and others on the right who were âdividing the nationâ. âCertain language currently circulating â discriminatory talk, polarizing language â which I believed had been addressed long ago has reemerged in political debate and citizens are fearful,â he stated. âWe have to stand up to that racism, that divisiveness, and we have to proudly say that British identity is to have concern for others, is about being fair, entails tolerance and kindness, and this is our pride.â Reflecting Concerns from Wes Streeting Starmer mirrored language used by the Health Secretary, who cautioned earlier this month how an âuglyâ racism reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s had become alarmingly frequent once more with NHS staff were bearing the brunt of this trend. The health secretary said occurrences of both verbal and physical attacks targeting individuals due to race had become so frequent that it was now âtolerated to hold racist viewsâ. âWe must end on racism across the UK and weâve got to put such harmful attitudes that has emerged in our country back in its box and once again create an environment in this country where it is not socially acceptable to be racist,â the Health Secretary said. Defining Choice for the Public Starmer used his speech at the Labour party conference this autumn to draw clear divisions between himself and Farage, stating that the public confronted a âdefining choiceâ. He said he was involved in a âfight for the soul of our countryâ, and argued although the public expressed valid worries about illegal migration, there was an ethical boundary which some politicians had overstepped. The PM pledged to âfightâ those who argued that non-white individuals could not be English or British and that families residing in Britain for years must be removed, stating people promoting such views constituted âan enemy of national renewalâ. âIf you incite racial attacks and hostility, that is not expressing concern: itâs criminal. Our political movement values national symbols, yet if they are painted alongside graffiti, telling a Chinese takeaway owner to âgo homeâ, that is not patriotism; thatâs racism,â he informed supporters.