Starmer made a mistake calling Reform policy ‘racist’, Harriet Harman says

Sir Keir Stamer made a mistake by labelling Reform UK’s migration policy racist, a Labour Party grandee has said.

Dame Harriet Harman told the Sky News Electoral Dysfunction podcast with political editor Beth Rigby that trying to label a policy racist, but not the politicians or the supporters, was too nuanced of an argument for voters to understand.

The Labour Party conference was dominated by discussions about Nigel Farage and Reform UK, and the way to fight off their surge in the polls.

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Speaking to the BBC last Sunday, the prime minister said Reform’s plans to require settled immigrants to apply for British citizenship or face deportation was a “racist policy”.

However, he and other cabinet ministers declined to call Mr Farage, Reform UK or their supporters racist in subsequent interviews.

Read more:
Starmer says Farage isn’t racist
PM brands Reform policy racist
Long road ahead for Starmer, says Beth Rigby

Dame Harriet said: “So I think in a way, what happened is he made that without planning it – he said the racist thing.

“And then instead of just going back on it, he slightly doubled down.”

Asked by Rigby if it was a mistake, Dame Harriet says that the prime minister should have “just moved on and redefined it rather than trying to explain it”.

“You can’t distinguish between a racist policy from a party and a racist party leader because that’s too subtle and nuanced for the public,” she added.

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Pushed by Rigby on if it was a mistake to use the word racist, Dame Harriet said “yeah”.

She added: “It doesn’t work well.

“I think it’s much better to take things on as divisive rather than label the person, to label someone – that’s the kind of end of a conversation.

“I think you have to be explaining why it’s wrong, why it’s harmful, why it’s problematic.”