Starmer Shifts Rhetoric, But Real Change Still Needed

Labour can’t out-Farage Farage – it must lead with fairness and fixing our broken democracy

At Labour’s conference this week, the rise of Reform UK loomed large. Polls now show Keir Starmer as the least popular Prime Minister in history, with Nigel Farage’s party surging towards a potential electoral landslide. There were hints of a shift in tone from the Prime Minister – but the real question remains: will meaningful action follow the words?

A tougher stance against the far right

Starmer struck a new note, unequivocally condemning the far right’s racist rallies, jabbing at Farage’s false patriotism, and calling for decency, unity, and renewal. Crucially, he began to push back against Farage’s grievance narrative – showing, at least for a moment, that he can take on the far right.

It is certainly welcome to see an end to the “island of strangers” strategy that left Labour too timid in the face of division.

Triangulation on immigration

But rhetoric is only part of the picture. While denouncing Reform’s plan to scrap indefinite leave to remain (ILR), new Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also announced she would double the time required to qualify for ILR.

This looks like another attempt at triangulation – courting Farage’s voters with diluted versions of his own policies. The danger is obvious: people who want hardline anti-migrant politics will always choose the original, while Labour risks alienating its own base.

Renewal still to come

Beyond immigration, Starmer offered little substance on “renewal”. The Hillsborough Law – a long-overdue measure enforcing accountability and candour on public bodies – is significant, but there was nothing concrete on fixing our broken political system.

The familiar refrain of “growth, growth, growth” does not address the elephant in the room: Westminster itself. A remote and unrepresentative system continues to silence ordinary voices and erode public trust.

A promise still unfulfilled

Starmer’s 2024 victory carried a hefty promise: a fairer, more honest, more tolerant Britain. His words this week suggest he recognises that reality – but words alone are not enough. It is time to act.

Lighting the way forward

Others at conference, including Open Britain, Labour For a New Democracy, and the APPG for Fair Elections, showed what genuine renewal looks like. At a packed Labour4PR rally, Andy Burnham and a host of Labour MPs called for a fairer voting system. The APPG made the next step abundantly clear: a National Commission for Electoral Reform that can begin to rebuild trust.

Starmer and Mahmood can keep playing whack-a-mole with Farage’s policies. They can keep chasing voters who will never back them. Or they can put words into action and deliver the fairer Britain people voted for last year.