After a week of pressure from Reform UK and Nigel Farage, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has brushed off Farage’s demands.
Starmer’s Stern Response
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer issued a warning to Nigel Farage after the UK Reform leader’s controversial declaration.
Poll Shows Reform’s Rise
A recent YouGov poll showed that Farage’s Party, Reform UK, had taken over the Conservatives, causing Farage to gloat.
Farage’s Stern Declaration
Farage declared that his Party had officially taken over the Conservatives as the “opposition” to Labour after going one percentage point above the Tories in the polls.
Farage’s Bold Offer
The former Brexit Party leader also made an offer to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to debate him live on TV, similar to the recent debates with Sunak.
Starmer Stands With Conservatives
Despite this claim, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has defended the Conservatives, issuing a bold response to Farage.
Farage Not a Candidate for Prime Minister
Starmer claimed there were only two candidates for Prime Minister and warned Farage that he was not one of them.
Starmer Not Interested
Sir Starmer insisted that he would not be focusing on Farage’s Party during his election campaign as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is his only competition.
Labour Leader’s Warning
“There are only two candidates for Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak and myself, and that’s why it’s important for me to focus on that choice as I go around the country talking to voters,” Starmer told journalists.
Who Is the Leader of the Opposition?
Sir Starmer insisted that Farage could not claim himself as the leader of the opposition, saying that the title still belonged to the Labour leader.
“I Am Leader of the Opposition”
“I don’t think it’s for Nigel Farage to declare himself leader of the opposition. I am actually leader of the opposition just at the moment, and I’m hoping to change that,” Starmer said.
The Country’s Choice
Starmer declared that the general election on July 4 is a choice between “five more years of Conservative government” and “turning a page” with Labour.
Farage Boosts Reform’s Chances
The YouGov poll put Nigel Farage’s Reform UK at 19%, slightly above the Conservatives at 18% for the first time in the Party’s history.
Splitting the Right
The rise came shortly after Farage made a shock double announcement that split right-wing voters in two.
Farage’s Shock Announcement
Farage announced that he would be running in the general election after insisting he did not have enough time, but that wasn’t all.
Reform’s Change in Leadership
The former UKIP leader announced he would succeed Richard Tice as leader of Reform UK, which gave the party’s election hopes a huge boost.
Piling on the Pressure
Following the news in the poll, Farage went on a spree of interviews and rallies, where he pressured the two leading Parties to take Reform seriously.
“We Are Now the Opposition”
Farage not only stated, “We are now the opposition,” on his social media but also insisted he be put into the leaders’ debate live on TV.
Farage’s Latest Demands
Farage said that his Party “demand right now” that “the BBC put us into that debate” when speaking about the leaders’ debate between Starmer and Sunak.
Offering a Debate With Labour Leader
“I would also very much like to do a debate head-to-head with Keir Starmer and the reason is very simple – we think this should be the immigration election,” Farage said.
Ignoring Reform UK
Starmer’s response to Farage is an attempt to remove the limelight from Reform UK, although Farage will capitalise on it as Starmer showing weakness by not debating Reform.
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