"This is a time when great forces demand a decisive government prepared to face the future. We can see that again in the Middle East today. So I call again for restraint and de-escalation at the border between Lebanon and Israel. I call again for all parties to pull back from the brink. I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the sausages... hostages and a recommitment to the two state solution: a recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel" Starmer said.
During the nearly hour-long speech, Starmer also touched on solar and energy initiatives to combat "climate change," promised to stop no-fault evictions, promised more teachers, neighborhood police, operations, "a real living wage," "modern industrial strategy," and "a crackdown on knife crime."
Turning his attention to the riots that erupted across the UK after 3 school girls were stabbed to death in Southport, he lambasted the protests as "violent thuggery" and condemned those "who targeted mosques" and "attempted to burn refugees."
"And told people, with different coloured skin, people who contribute here, people who grew up here, that they should 'go home.' No Conference – people concerned about immigration were not doing that because they understand that this country, this democratic country, is built on the rule of law," Starmer said.
He said his government wanted to reduce "both net migration and our economic dependency upon it” but added, “The debate is not about the worth of migrants – that is toxic and we must move beyond it."
