UK’s Starmer Urges Party Unity, Calls to ‘End Self-Indulgence’

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Sunday urged his Labour Party to “end self-indulgence” and rally together to defeat Reform UK, accusing the populist party of planning a “racist policy” of mass deportations if it were to come to power.

Starmer, whose governing Labour Party is now trailing Reform in the polls, opened his party’s annual conference with an appeal for members to direct their anger not at his leadership, but at Nigel Farage’s Reform movement.

“We are facing the fight of our lives, because we have to take on Reform. We have to defeat them. This is not a time for introspection or self-indulgence — it is a time for unity in this fight,” Starmer told BBC News.

Defending his record on immigration
With Labour struggling badly in opinion polls ahead of the 2029 general election, Starmer is seeking to reset his leadership after weeks of internal strife and a Cabinet reshuffle. He views the Liverpool conference as a critical opportunity to unite Labour and fend off critics, including Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who have called for his removal while targeting Farage with their frustrations.

Starmer defended his government’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration — an issue that consistently ranks high among voter concerns — while condemning Farage’s proposals to deport settled refugees as “racist.”

“It’s one thing to say we will remove people who are here illegally, people who have no right to stay — I support that,” Starmer said. “It is something entirely different to say we will start targeting people who are here lawfully and remove them. That, I believe, is a racist policy. It is immoral, and it must be exposed for what it is.”

Poll ratings under pressure
Starmer faces mounting pressure as his personal approval rating sinks to historic lows. Polling agency Ipsos reported that his satisfaction score is the worst for any prime minister since it began collecting data in 1977: only 13% of voters say they are satisfied with him, while 79% are dissatisfied.

The Prime Minister insisted he is not ignoring public discontent. “I’m not sticking my fingers in my ears,” he said, adding that his leadership will ultimately be judged on three measures: whether people’s living standards have improved, whether public services are better, and whether citizens feel safe in their homes.

“That is the basis on which I will be judged,” he declared.