Turning Point UK, the right-wing activist group, has accused the Labour Government of fuelling hostility following Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s response to the killing of US commentator Charlie Kirk.
Starmer, writing on X.com last night, said: “My thoughts this evening are with the loved ones of Charlie Kirk. It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband. We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear – there can be no justification for political violence.”
But Turning Point UK fired back on social media, blaming Labour rhetoric for the hostility its members face. “Your Deputy Prime Minister, David Lammy, described us and Charlie as ‘sinister forces’ and ‘xenophobic’,” the group wrote in a post addressed to Starmer. “Other Labour MPs have protested with violent far-left activists who attacked us. The language your party and the wider left uses to describe people like Charlie and us is the reason why we face this violence. Shame on you.”
The murder of Kirk, a controversial figure on both sides of the Atlantic, has sent shockwaves through the political sphere, prompting tributes and condemnation from across the spectrum.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, also writing on X.com, called the killing “a tragedy, and a sign of the utter desperation and cowardice of those who could not defeat him in argument.” Johnson continued: “Charlie Kirk has been killed not for espousing extremist views – because he didn’t. He has been killed for saying things that used to be simple common sense. He has been killed because he had the courage to stand up publicly for reasonable opinions held by millions and millions of ordinary people both in the US and Britain. The world has a shining new martyr to free speech. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.”
Labour officials have so far not responded directly to Turning Point UK’s accusations. The incident has reignited debate about the tone of political discourse in Britain, and the responsibility of public figures to avoid language that could inflame tensions.
In Southampton we have regularly seen Labour Councillors and MPs try to shut down debate calling protestors racists and far-right instead of debating issues head on and having dialogue with those with differing opinions.
