The Prime Minister tore into the Reform UK leader who had spoken of the “cultural smashing of Glasgow.”
Keir Starmer has branded Nigel Farage a “toxic disgrace” after he criticised the number of Glasgow pupils who do not speak English as a first language. The Prime Minister also accused the Reform UK leader of backing a “racist” policy of wanting to deport migrants who have lived in Britain for years.
Starmer’s attacks on Farage were made during a trip to a community centre in Glasgow. It was the PM’s first foray to Scotland after a Budget that scrapped the two child benefit cap and cut £150 off energy bills. He tore into Farage who had highlighted how nearly one in three pupils in the city speak English as a second language.
Farage also said: “This is not diversity, as the left always preach, this actually is the cultural smashing of Glasgow.” Starmer replied: “It’s a disgrace. He’s a toxic, divisive disgrace. All he wants to do is tear communities apart. In Glasgow, the diversity, the compassion, is celebrated. It’s part of, not just Glasgow, but Scotland.
“I am proud that that is part of what Scotland is, and I as prime minister of the United Kingdom want to serve every community in Scotland.
“I don’t go round picking and choosing and trying to divide. I think it’s particularly poor that he’s reached right into children now to start that divide. All he’s interested in is the politics of grievance and the politics of division.”
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Asked if Farage is a racist, the Prime Minister referred to the Reform policy of scrapping indefinite leave to remain for migrants.
He said: “If you look at his approach, particularly when it comes to what he said about reaching in and removing people who’ve been here for a very long time, lawfully in this country, and deporting them, that to me is a racist policy.
“These are people who work in our health service, in our schools, who run businesses, who are our neighbours. I, for one, am proud to serve a diverse Britain, a diverse Scotland. I’m proud to serve every single person in the whole of Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom. He only wants to serve some of them.”
He added: “Everywhere they’ve [Reform] won power, it’s been a complete chaotic disgrace. They’ve shown they can’t govern, and they’ve shown their colours in Glasgow by saying the first thing we want to do is tear communities apart.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar also criticised Farage: “As a son of Glasgow, how dare he use Glasgow’s kids to spread his own poison? The people of Glasgow have seen the likes of Nigel Farage before and utterly rejected him and they’ll do the same again.”
Scottish Labour are seventeen points behind the SNP in the polls for the Holyrood election and are trailing in third place behind Reform UK.
Senior party figures are blaming the poll slump on Starmer’s poor start as Prime Minister.
Asked if would resign in May if Labour loses in Scotland and Wales, he said:
“We were elected in July of 2024 with a landslide victory to bring about change. And the change that we are absolutely focussed on is dealing with the cost of living crisis, which is why we’ve done the measures in the budget that we’ve done with an absolute focus on them, making sure that we’re working with Scotland on the issues that matter.”
He added: “I will be judged at the next election on whether we’ve made progress on the cost of living, whether public services are better.”
On Glasgow’s refugee homelessness crisis, Starmer said he agreed with Sarwar who has said the abolition of ‘local connection’ rules should be suspended.
During a trip earlier in the day to Lossiemouth, Starmer spoke of the measures the UK Government is taking to combat the threat posed by Russia.
He said: “What goes on from this place, you don’t need me to tell you, is hugely important for the security of the UK, of Europe and of the US.
“It is always important. It is particularly important at the moment with the situation going on in Ukraine.
“We know Russia’s intent is always there. It’s a constant threat.”
On the presence of Russian submarines in the North Atlantic, he said the threat was “absolutely clear”.
He also said the Government will be offering 35,000 service personnel “return warrant money to go home at Christmas”.
He added: “It’s just a way of saying thank-you to you for what you do.”
Tory MSP Craig Hoy said: “Keir Starmer should be apologising to Scots for the damage last week’s budget inflicted.
“Keir Starmer is disgracefully attempting to defend this budget when he should be sacking Rachel Reeves for misleading the public and the markets.
“Scotland has two left-wing governments imposing ever higher taxes to fund unsustainable and reckless welfare programmes that will cost taxpayers billions.
“Those policies urgently need to be reversed if we are to get the economic growth essential to fund frontline services.”
