Starmer frames battle with Reform UK as open fight over the nation's direction

Sir Keir Starmer framed the fight against Reform UK as a defining test for the country, telling The Guardian this weekend that history would not forgive Labour if it did not use “every ounce of our energy to fight Reform.” The Labour leader’s comments underscore a widening emphasis on confrontation with the upstart party as he prepares for the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, where a keynote speech is expected on Tuesday and where he plans to articulate a sharpened line against the Reform challenge.

In London on Friday, Starmer appeared to broaden the message beyond the party conference stage, joining a gathering of left-leaning leaders at Methodist Central Hall, Westminster. He stood alongside current and former premiers from Canada, Australia and Iceland, a setting some observers described as reflective rather than triumphant. While all the leaders had won their own political contests, the mood was pensive, with a shared concern among the left about how to address voters uneasy about immigration and economic strain. The prime minister’s team has framed the moment as a test of whether Labour can persuade voters that it understands their concerns without surrendering its values.

The clash with Reform UK is not seen as a temporary squabble but part of a broader realignment of the British political space. Within Labour, there is recognition that the party’s stance on immigration remains a sensitive fault line, and some members warn against overemphasising a tough line for fear of alienating voters who are wary of sweeping rightward shifts. The discussion comes amid a wider debate about how to respond to Reform’s rise, which has unsettled traditional party loyalties in several parts of the country. Some Labour voices acknowledge the concern about illegal immigration expressed by voters, a topic that has surfaced repeatedly in recent years and now resurfaces in the current political climate. Yet there is also caution in the party about leaning too heavily on a hard line, given the risks of energising a broader anti-Labour sentiment.

The political moment is inseparable from a policy debate that has lingered for years: the idea of a digital ID scheme. After two decades of rapid digitalisation—from smartphones to the everyday sharing of data with online services—the question of a government-backed identification system has a renewed salience. Starmer told Chris Mason that the “center of gravity” around state-mmandated ID has shifted, with more people comfortable sharing personal information online and with institutions than in the past. The concept carries echoes of Tony Blair’s era, when ID cards were proposed, but the form is now debated in a different political climate where privacy concerns and public trust are central. The idea remains short on key details, but Starmer has signalled a willingness to engage with it as a policy option.

But the plan faces vocal opposition. A petition on Parliament’s website has surpassed a million signatures, a notably high number in the last decade for any issue of this kind. Starmer’s team argues that a quieter majority could be won over if the policy is framed as a practical, incremental improvement rather than a sweeping reform. The prime minister’s broader political aim is to draw a clear line between Labour and Reform—along with the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party—on who can deliver stable, evidence-based progress for voters amid economic and international headwinds.

Starmer has been explicit about the stakes, describing the coming contest with Reform as an “open fight” and a “battle for the soul of this country.” Reform UK has embraced the framing, agreeing that it is, in fact, a contest of national direction. The confrontation comes as Labour tries to demonstrate that it can deliver tangible improvements for voters while countering the perception that reformers may offer a more decisive, sharper approach to handling immigration, the economy, and public services.

The conference in Liverpool looms large on the timetable, with the party’s leadership intent on presenting a credible plan that resonates beyond party lines. The upcoming speech and the weeks ahead will test Labour’s capacity to translate its criticisms of Reform into concrete gains for voters—incremental, if not transformative—while navigating sensitive social and economic issues that have long shaped British politics.

In this environment, observers say the world will watch how Labour positions itself on reformist challenges, the pace at which it pursues policy, and whether it can sustain a narrative of responsible change in the face of a popular push for rapid, visible shifts. The balance between addressing urgent concerns and maintaining a broad, principled platform remains at the core of Starmer’s strategy as the party charts its course toward the next general election.