Labour frames UK election as clash with Reform UK in battle for the soul, unveils digital ID plan

London — Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his government is in a battle for the soul of the country with Reform UK while outlining a new digital ID scheme intended to curb illegal migration during a keynote address at the Global Progress Action Summit in London. He framed the election as the defining political choice of our times between the centre-left and the politics of predatory grievance. He argued that left-wing politicians had been 'squeamish' about discussing immigration, but border security was essential to any credible platform. The prime minister said he wanted the run-up to the next election to be 'an open fight between Labour and Reform,' with Reform having pulled ahead in national polls in recent months. The remarks came as attendees at the summit included Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Starmer attacked what he called lies about Britain and mocked portrayals of London as a 'wasteland of anarchy.' The remarks followed comments by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier in the week in a feud with London's Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan, over crime and migration. Starmer argued that social democrats must confront directly some of the challenges and some of the lies that have taken root in societies. He told delegates that there are versions in all countries where places, institutions, and communities are portrayed as a reality far from what they are, a kind of 'industrialised infrastructure of grievance' that sustains its politics. He described a 'battle for the soul' of the country regarding what kind of country Britain should be, saying the divide created by Reform was built on a sense of grievance, predicated on a problem exploited to persist politically. A Reform UK spokesman said: 'For decades the British people have been betrayed by both Labour and the Conservatives. People have voted election after election for lower taxes and controlled immigration, instead both party's have done the opposite. The public are now waking up to the fact Starmer is just continuing the Tory legacy of high taxes and mass immigration.' Green Party Leader Zack Polanski argued Sir Keir was using immigration as a distraction from other issues facing the country. 'The truth is, politicians have talked about little else for decades and almost always in the most toxic, dehumanising way possible,' he said. 'These comments are lapped up and regurgitated on a near-daily basis as talking points without any real balance.' Addressing recent protests, Starmer criticised the 'poisonous belief' that there is a 'violent struggle' for the nation, saying the belief that there was 'a coming struggle, a defining struggle, a violent struggle for the nation' was 'on full display' in London just under two weeks ago. Speaking over video link at the 'Unite The Kingdom' rally organized by far-right activist Tommy Robinson earlier this month, tech billionaire Elon Musk criticised 'uncontrolled migration' and suggested 'violence is coming.' Starmer said, 'You don't have to be a great historian to know where that kind of poison ends up, and you could just feel it in a language that is naked in its attempt to intimidate.' He added that it was not 'careless or accidental' but part of a strategy to 'draw a dividing line between elites and the people.'