Starmer condemns populists who ‘exploit’ flag and ‘whip up hatred’

Sir Keir Starmer has condemned those who “exploit” the England flag to “whip up hatred” as he called for the country to reject division and embrace a “patriotic path of national renewal”.

The country is facing a struggle “between patriots who care about our country, and populists who only care about themselves”, the Prime Minister said.

The intervention comes after more than 110,000 protesters – many carrying flags – marched in Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom protest last week.

Sir Keir rebuked the far-right activist and tech tycoon Elon Musk, who told the crowd to “fight back” or “die”.

“When populist politicians, convicted criminals, and foreign billionaires take to the stage to encourage violence, make racist comments, and threaten our democracy, it casts a dark shadow of fear and violence across our society,” he wrote in The Sun on Sunday.

“They want to drag our country down into a toxic spiral of division and hatred because it’s good for them. But their vile lies are not good for the country.”

Citing flag-filled football stadiums, the Labour leader said he knew “what a source of pride our flag can be”, which “makes it all the more shameful when people exploit that symbol to stoke anger and division”.

The St George’s Cross and Union flag have been raised in towns and cities across the UK in recent months amid a public debate about nationhood and migration.

Sir Keir acknowledged that “people feel angry” about the state of the country after 15 years of neglected public services, a weakening economy and an eroding trust in politics.

He said: “I share that frustration. I’m determined to fix it. But a small minority see instead an opportunity to whip up hatred.”

Sir Keir continued: “We’re at a crossroads.

“There is a dark path ahead of division and decline, toxicity and fear.

“A path that relies on destruction and disappointment, because when the damage is done and the graffiti cleaned away, it’s clear the populists never had anything to offer – no hope, no future, no answers.

“Or, there is the patriotic path of national renewal. Every one of us playing our part to renew, restore, rebuild the country we love.

“That is the path we choose.

“Because this Government is taking responsibility to reverse the decline.”

The Prime Minister is expected to set out more details of his vision for a patriotic Britain later this week.

Meanwhile, a group of senior church leaders signed an open letter condemning the “co-opting and corrupting” of Christian symbols at last week’s march in London.

The bishops and Christian leaders wrote: “We are deeply concerned about the co-opting of Christian symbols, particularly the cross, during Saturday’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally.

“Many individuals and communities felt anxious, unsettled and even threatened by aspects of the march.”

They said the protest “included racist, anti-Muslim and far right elements” and “as Christians from different theological and political backgrounds we stand together against the misuse of Christianity”.

After a bruising two weeks for Sir Keir in which two high-profile departures from Government sparked questions about his judgment, polling released on Saturday showed that more than half of voters think he should resign.

The Opinium survey showed 54% think he should vacate No 10, including a third of 2024 Labour voters.

Sir Keir’s approval rating has slumped further to minus 42%, approaching the minus 44% Boris Johnson hit after his Tory government collapsed.

A third want Kemi Badenoch to resign as Tory leader, more than the 27% who want her to stay.

Ms Badenoch on Saturday accused Labour of making “a mess of our economy” as she vowed to stand by the pensioners’ triple lock.

She wrote in The Express: “The first place to look to bring down Government spending is not by going after those who’ve paid into the system throughout their lives, it’s by tackling the people who aren’t contributing, who are taking out of the system and not putting in.

“It’s about getting serious about bringing down the benefits bill.”