The rise of Farage: can Keir Starmer do anything to halt Reform?

This week, Britain’s Labour Party returned to Westminster from a summer recess defined by anti-migrant protests, and during which, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK dominated the news agenda.

British prime minister Keir Starmer resumed business in parliament by announcing a small reshuffle of his Downing Street team. However, the Labour leader is still facing an array of domestic and foreign policy conundrums, most notably Farage’s rapidly rising popularity.

His right-wing Reform UK party has led Labour in about 90 successive opinion polls, while recent polls show 71 per cent of British voters believe the prime minister is handling the asylum hotel issue badly. Nearly four in ten British voters now cite immigration and asylum as the most important issue facing the country.

With Starmer facing calls from Labour Party heavyweights to take a more radical approach to the small boats crisis, and calls led by Farage for Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, the Labour Party is undoubtedly facing a rocky autumn season.

What are the main challenges facing Starmer’s Government in the coming weeks and how does he propose to overcome them?

And how much have Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party benefited from Labour’s plummeting support?

Today, on In The News, can Keir Starmer claw back control as Nigel Farage soars ahead?

Irish Times London correspondent Mark Paul discusses the political perils facing Keir Starmer as the summer recess ends.

Presented by Sorcha Pollak. Produced by Andrew McNair. 

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