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| Starmer takes aim at 'toxic' Reform ahead of Labour conference | Starmer takes aim at 'toxic' Reform ahead of Labour conference |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive in Liverpool ahead of the conference which runs from 28 September to 1 October | Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria arrive in Liverpool ahead of the conference which runs from 28 September to 1 October |
| The prime minister has warned Reform UK "will tear this country apart" ahead of the Labour party conference. | The prime minister has warned Reform UK "will tear this country apart" ahead of the Labour party conference. |
| Arriving in Liverpool on Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said Reform's plans to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for legal migrants was one of "the most shocking things" Nigel Farage's party had said. | Arriving in Liverpool on Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said Reform's plans to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for legal migrants was one of "the most shocking things" Nigel Farage's party had said. |
| Sir Keir said the conference would be an opportunity to show Labour's alternative to the "toxic divide and decline" offered by Reform. | Sir Keir said the conference would be an opportunity to show Labour's alternative to the "toxic divide and decline" offered by Reform. |
| He is under pressure after opinion polls show Labour trailing Reform UK, alongside speculation Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham could mount a leadership challenge. | |
| Farage told the Telegraph, Sir Keir's language "smacks, frankly, of total desperation" after the prime minister referred to Reform as an "enemy" in an interview with the Guardian. | Farage told the Telegraph, Sir Keir's language "smacks, frankly, of total desperation" after the prime minister referred to Reform as an "enemy" in an interview with the Guardian. |
| "To call somebody in politics an enemy is language that is bordering on the inciteful," he added. | "To call somebody in politics an enemy is language that is bordering on the inciteful," he added. |
| Reeves pushes for EU youth migration scheme ahead of Budget | Reeves pushes for EU youth migration scheme ahead of Budget |
| Chris Mason: Starmer unflinching as he seeks to take on Reform | Chris Mason: Starmer unflinching as he seeks to take on Reform |
| Starmer pushes immigration front and centre to fight Farage | Starmer pushes immigration front and centre to fight Farage |
| Arriving at the conference centre in Liverpool, Sir Keir said it would be a "big opportunity to make our case to the country, and make it absolutely clear that patriotic national renewal is the way forwards - not the toxic divide and decline that we get with Reform". | Arriving at the conference centre in Liverpool, Sir Keir said it would be a "big opportunity to make our case to the country, and make it absolutely clear that patriotic national renewal is the way forwards - not the toxic divide and decline that we get with Reform". |
| He continued the attacks as the conference got under way, telling the Sunday Mirror Farage was "grubby", and that the Reform leader was "unpatriotic" for pretending he would fix problems that mattered to voters. | |
| "Add to that that he spends more time grubbing around in America, trying to make money for himself than he does representing his constituents," he said. | |
| "He goes there not just to make money, but to talk our country down. The leader of a political party going to another country to talk his own country down. Grubby." | |
| Comparisons with Reform could be a theme of this conference, as Sir Keir tries to portray his party as a patriotic alternative to Reform, who continue to lead opinion polls. | |
| Last week, Reform announced it will replace ILR with visas and force migrants to reapply every five years, if the party wins the next election. That includes hundreds of thousands of migrants currently in the UK. | |
| Applicants would also have to meet certain criteria, including a higher salary threshold and standard of English. ILR is a key route to gaining British citizenship and allows people to claim benefits. | Applicants would also have to meet certain criteria, including a higher salary threshold and standard of English. ILR is a key route to gaining British citizenship and allows people to claim benefits. |
| According to a YouGov poll published on Saturday, abolishing indefinite leave to remain divides the public with 58% of Britons opposed to removing it from those who already hold it. | According to a YouGov poll published on Saturday, abolishing indefinite leave to remain divides the public with 58% of Britons opposed to removing it from those who already hold it. |
| But more than 44% say they support ending ILR as a policy, while 43% are opposed to the idea. | But more than 44% say they support ending ILR as a policy, while 43% are opposed to the idea. |
| During a visit to the office of newspaper Liverpool Echo, Sir Keir said: "These are people who have been in our country a long time, are contributing to our society, maybe working in, I don't know, hospitals, schools, running businesses - our neighbours, and Reform says it wants to deport them in certain circumstances. | During a visit to the office of newspaper Liverpool Echo, Sir Keir said: "These are people who have been in our country a long time, are contributing to our society, maybe working in, I don't know, hospitals, schools, running businesses - our neighbours, and Reform says it wants to deport them in certain circumstances. |
| "I think it is a real sign of just how divisive they are and that their politics and their policies will tear this country apart." | "I think it is a real sign of just how divisive they are and that their politics and their policies will tear this country apart." |
| But Reform UK claim the British people have been "betrayed by both Labour and the Conservatives". | But Reform UK claim the British people have been "betrayed by both Labour and the Conservatives". |
| Sir Keir defended his plans to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote in a Q&A with teens | Sir Keir defended his plans to give 16 and 17-year-olds the vote in a Q&A with teens |
| Speaking to teenagers at the Liverpool Echo visit, Sir Keir also insisted the government would not legalise cannabis, and defended his plans to lower the voting age to 16 in general elections. | Speaking to teenagers at the Liverpool Echo visit, Sir Keir also insisted the government would not legalise cannabis, and defended his plans to lower the voting age to 16 in general elections. |
| "It already happens in Scotland, already happens in Wales, and the sky didn't fall in," he said. | "It already happens in Scotland, already happens in Wales, and the sky didn't fall in," he said. |
| Ahead of the Labour conference, backbench MPs and unions renewed calls to end the two-child benefit cap. | Ahead of the Labour conference, backbench MPs and unions renewed calls to end the two-child benefit cap. |
| Several MPs from Liverpool were among those who wrote to Sir Keir ahead of the conference insisting the cap "is one of the most significant drivers of child poverty in Britain today". | Several MPs from Liverpool were among those who wrote to Sir Keir ahead of the conference insisting the cap "is one of the most significant drivers of child poverty in Britain today". |
| Two MPs - former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Apsana Begum - have had the whip restored, after a year-long ban for voting against the government on the cap. | Two MPs - former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Apsana Begum - have had the whip restored, after a year-long ban for voting against the government on the cap. |
| McDonnell told the BBC: "If this is a signal the government is going to scrap the two-child limit I'm really pleased." | McDonnell told the BBC: "If this is a signal the government is going to scrap the two-child limit I'm really pleased." |
| The prime minister's plans for a new digital ID system, revealed on Friday, will also likely face scrutiny at the conference. | The prime minister's plans for a new digital ID system, revealed on Friday, will also likely face scrutiny at the conference. |
| Senior Labour figures are meanwhile expected to set out the details of a fresh tranche of "New Towns" at the event. | Senior Labour figures are meanwhile expected to set out the details of a fresh tranche of "New Towns" at the event. |