A TOP Labour minister has branded Nigel Farage a “racist” over his immigration plans.
Last week, Reform UK pledged to overhaul Britain’s system for settled immigrants as part of their growing push to prove they are the country’s strictest party on immigration.
Farage’s party unveiled their plans to abolish indefinite leave to remain, which confers settled status on people who have moved to the UK, if they were to come into power.
Keir Starmer branded the policy “racist” but Labour deputy leadership hopeful and education secretary Bridget Phillipson has gone a step further.
Speaking on the News Agents podcast at the Labour conference in Liverpool, presenter John Sopel asked Phillipson: “Would you say Nigel Farage is racist?”
She replied: “It’s hard to escape the conclusion that because many of the things that he does and says, I think, drift into racism, it’s hard to escape that conclusion.”
In response, Reform UK head of policy, Zia Yusuf said: “Labour’s message to the country is clear: pay hundreds of billions for foreign nationals to live off the state forever, or Labour will call you racist.
“Reform’s plan will ensure only British people can access welfare and that migrants contribute to society.”
Starmer said of the plans yesterday “It is one thing to say we’re going to remove illegal migrants, people who have no right to be here. I’m up for that.
“It is a completely different thing to say we are going to reach in to people who are lawfully here and start removing them. They are our neighbours.”
Asked directly about Reform UK’s policy, he added: “I do think that it is a racist policy. I do think it is immoral. It needs to be called out for what it is.”
Pressed on whether Reform is trying to appeal to racists, Sir Keir said: “No, I think there are plenty of people who either vote Reform or are thinking of voting Reform who are frustrated.
“They had 14 years of failure under the Conservatives, they want us to change things.
“They may have voted Labour a year ago, and they want the change to come more quickly. I actually do understand that.”
