The row over immigration has taken another sharp turn, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Reform UK trading blows over whether concerns about migration can be labelled “racist”. Sir Keir accused Nigel Farage’s party of promoting a “racist” policy after Reform pledged to scrap settled status for all non-EU migrants.

He said: “I do think that it is a racist policy. I do think it is immoral. It needs to be called out for what it is.” Pressed on whether Reform is trying to appeal to racists, he said: “No, I think there are plenty of people who either vote Reform or are thinking of voting Reform who are frustrated. They had 14 years of failure under the Conservatives, they want us to change things.”

He said: “They may have voted Labour a year ago, and they want the change to come more quickly. I actually do understand that.”

Sir Keir also pledged to put an end to taxpayer-funded taxis for asylum seekers travelling to medical appointments “as soon as we can”. He said: “I’m looking at alternative accommodation and doing everything we can to bring forward the closure of asylum hotels.”

Under its plan, people who already hold indefinite leave to remain would have to re-apply under stricter rules. He said: “It is one thing to say we’re going to remove illegal migrants, people who have no right to be here. I’m up for that. It is a completely different thing to say we are going to reach in to people who are lawfully here and start removing them. They are our neighbours.”

Reform hit back hard. Zia Yusuf, the party’s head of policy, said Sir Keir’s remarks show “this is a Prime Minister circling the drain”. He argued that the Labour leader is insulting “very reasonable people” who simply want migrants to “pay their way, speak English and not commit crime”.