UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said racism and intolerance have escalated in the country over the past decade, damaging social cohesion and preventing people from participating in public life.
Starmer made the remarks in the House of Commons after a lawmaker expressed concerns that racism and related incitement to violence had become normalized, including among some politicians. The prime minister said: "We have to address this problem, because it is tearing our communities apart. Everyone serving in politics at every level in this country should condemn it."
Reuters report: political discourse fuels racism
According to a report published by Reuters on Tuesday, hate speech and racist incidents linked to immigration are on the rise in the UK. Experts and union leaders warned that rhetoric from the government and other politicians has created a more permissive environment for overt racism.
The report said that although rare, widely publicized violent incidents have been used by right-wing activists and politicians to blame immigration, escalating tensions in a country long seen as a stable haven for immigrants and ethnic minorities.
According to Reuters, British people from ethnic minorities fear a return of racist behavior linked to anti-immigrant rhetoric and political emphasis on crime.
Tensions spilled onto the streets in Southampton and Belfast
In early June, violent protests erupted in the southern English city of Southampton a day after a British-born Sikh man was sentenced to life in prison for killing student Henry Nowak. On the same day as the conviction, a video showing police handcuffing the dying victim's hands was released, fueling anger and prompting calls from various parties for the removal of guidelines that consider ethnicity in certain police incidents.
A week later, in the Northern Irish capital Belfast, masked men raided the homes of immigrants after a white man lost an eye in a knife attack by a Sudanese migrant.
Hate crimes on the rise
Hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales increased for the first time in three years in the year ending March 2025. Race-based crimes rose by 6 percent, reaching 82,490 incidents.
