British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged his Labour Party to unite against the rising populist party planning a “racist policy” of mass deportation, as dissatisfaction with his governance grows before local and regional elections in May.At Labour’s annual conference in the city of Liverpool, Starmer called on party members to focus their anger on Reform UK, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, rather than his leadership.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“We have got the fight of our lives ahead of us, because we’ve got to take on Reform. We’ve got to beat them, and so now is not the time for introspection or navel gazing,” Starmer told BBC News. “We need to be in that fight united,” said the British prime minister, whose support has plummeted over policy U-turns and a series of missteps.The comments come after reports of party members plotting Starmer’s replacement, including Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who spoke to British media about potentially mounting a leadership challenge.Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands, reporting from Liverpool, said the challenge for Burnham – a popular figure within the party – is that one has to be an MP to be able to run for prime minister. “So it’s not quite code red for Starmer, but if you see seats becoming vacant and Burnham becoming an MP, that’s when the warning signs really start flashing.”Starmer is also under pressure to increase spending and relax self-imposed fiscal rules that aim to balance day-to-day ex …
