A protester throws a trash can during an anti-immigration demonstration in Rotherham, England, August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo
(1/2)A protester throws a trash can during an anti-immigration rally in Rotherham, England, on August 4, 2024. REUTERS/Holly Adams/File PhotoLicense rights will open in a new tabStarmer says Britain must prepare for far-right threat, promises to tackle “fake pills of populism and nationalism” and calls on progressive European parties to cooperate
BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Starmer expressed concern about the growing threat from far-right groups in Britain and called on Europe's progressive parties to work together to tackle common challenges.
Britain was hit by anti-immigrant riots earlier this month after a deadly knife attack at a children's dance class was followed by false claims, amplified by the far-right, that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker. The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany has reportedly seen a surge in membership in Germany, but Starmer said during a visit on Wednesday that populism can be defeated by making people feel good and promised that life in Britain would improve before the end of his first term in power.
“We should be concerned about the threat of far-right, populism and nationalism in the UK,” he told reporters. “There are reasons to be concerned, including what's happening in the UK, what's happening in other European countries, including France and Germany.”
Starmer's center-left Labour Party won a landslide victory in early July's general election, in stark contrast to recent gains by Europe's far-right. But anti-immigrant riots have already created his first major crisis. British police have arrested more than 1,160 people in the riots, which have been marked by violence, arson, looting and racist attacks targeting Muslims and immigrants.
Starmer vowed to fight the far right and the “fake pills of populism and nationalism” and said he would be honest about the country's problems and how to solve them.
But the task is made more difficult by a backdrop of rising living costs and deteriorating public services.
Starmer warned on Tuesday that the government's budget in October would be “painful” and urged people to “accept short-term pain for long-term gain”. Speaking to reporters during a visit aimed at repairing fractured ties with European allies, he said it was a “tough message to deliver” but a necessary one.
He again likened the UK to a house that needed more than cosmetic repairs, saying that “the damp and cracks need to be removed first” before improvements could be made.
“This is actually a project of hope, but it has to start with the hard work of doing the hard stuff,” he said.
Sign up here.
Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; editing by David Holmes
Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Opens in new tab
Purchasing License Rights
Source link
