UK’s Keir Starmer warns that far-right offers ‘snake oil’ of easy answers

Britain’s prime minister says he’s making unpopular decisions early following his election victory in July

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Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: BBC via Reuters

Published: 4:49am, 9 Sep 2024Updated: 10:56am, 9 Sep 2024

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wanted to counter the rise of the far-right in the UK by delivering fundamental change to the economy, despite having to make unpopular choices along the way.

A week after Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a state election in eastern Germany, Starmer said he was worried about the rise of the far-right across Europe.

“We can see what’s happening in Germany with the recent election, and we can see what’s happening in France and other countries, and I’m worried about the far-right because it’s the snake oil of the easy answer,” Starmer said in an interview with the BBC broadcast on Sunday.

Far-right riots swept England just weeks after Starmer’s election this summer. The unrest erupted after false reports spread online about the identity of the suspect in a stabbing in Southport, near Liverpool, that left three young girls dead.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in an interview with the BBC. Photo: Photo: BBC via AFP

Starmer said he was “convinced that the solution” is for his Labour government to deliver the change they promised in their election manifesto earlier this year.