Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain will denounce what he calls “the politics of grievance” on Tuesday, seeking to revive his plummeting approval numbers with a warning about embracing intolerance that is directly aimed at Reform U.K., the anti-immigration party that has surged in popularity across the country.
With Scottish, Welsh and a fresh set of municipal elections just eight months away, Mr. Starmer will say in his annual speech to Labour Party loyalists that the choice facing British voters between Labour and Reform is a “fork in the road” that will determine the fate of the country’s democracy.
“We can choose decency. Or we can choose division. Renewal or decline,” he will say, according to excerpts from his speech released in advance by his office. “It is a test. A fight for the soul of our country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war.”
Mr. Starmer’s words underscore the political threat to his party from Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform, whose approach to immigration and economics echoes President Trump. Having once described mass deportations as a “political impossibility” in Britain, Mr. Farage recently changed course, presenting a plan to deport hundreds of thousands of people, including some who had previously been granted a long-term right to remain in Britain.
Mr. Starmer does not have to call a general election until 2029, but multiple polls suggest that Reform — an insurgent party with only five members of Parliament — would trounce Labour if an election were held today.
In his speech, Mr. Starmer cast the choice as “a test” for voters. It is one that some of his own allies fear he might not pass.
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