Labour Conference Week, their second conference in power.
Having won that massive majority at the general election, I imagined it was going to be a week when they talked about their achievements in Government and their plans for the future. We didn’t hear all that much of those.
It all began on Sunday morning on the BBC, when Keir Starmer was asked a question about our policy on indefinite leave to remain.
This is what he said: “Well, I do think that it’s a racist policy. I do think it’s immoral. It needs to be called out for what it is.”
Nigel Farage shared his views on the war of words with Keir Starmer
|GB NEWS
Now, I don’t know whether he had planned to come out and use the word “racist” or whether it was just a response to a question.
It seemed to me he was pretty unsure of himself when he said it. Either way, once that was out of the bag, they decided as a party to go with it all week despite the fact that the very next day the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, put forward her own proposals to tackle indefinite leave to remain.
But having let the cat out of the bag, they continued all week. Then there was Chancellor Rachel Reeves, saying: “Those people have every right to be in this country, and the idea that they would be deported just because they weren’t born here, I believe that policy is racist. I believe that policy is wrong.”
Clearly, she thinks it’s racist to suggest benefits should only be for British nationals.
And David Lammy, never one to miss out, joined in too: "He must call his scheme to round up and deport our French, Indian, or Caribbean neighbours who already have indefinite leave to remain what it is racist."
What we have learned this week, even from the Home Secretary, is that the Boris wave will not be denied.
Between one and two million people will be given indefinite leave to remain over the next three years. That means once they get it, they’ll all be entitled to a life on benefits.
They’ll all be entitled to bring dependants. But there you are.
But I wonder, with the big speech from the Prime Minister today, the repeated use of the word “racist,” what does it all mean?
Well, I don’t mind personal insults. I’m big enough and ugly enough to take them. But I do think, on this, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet have sunk into the gutter. What they’ve done is both insulting and dangerous.
Keir Starmer launched a series of attacks on the Reform UK leader
|GETTY
I say that especially in the wake of the murder of my friend Charlie Kirk.
Just three weeks ago, he was called lots of nasty names. We’ve already seen violent attacks on Reform supporters, and I really worry this will embolden the radical left those who wear face masks and are prepared to use violence.
Frankly, what the Prime Minister has done is a total disgrace.
I hope he wakes up tomorrow ashamed of himself. That is my opinion, and I believe it very strongly.