Keir Starmer has expressed real anger and concern following a violent homophobic attack on his niece and her wife, who were assaulted in their own town less than a year after their wedding. Speaking on the podcast Man Made, hosted by Pete Wicks, Starmer recounted how the couple was brutally beaten simply for holding hands, a fact that left him ‘absolutely furious.’ The attack, which left his niece visibly bruised and swollen, confronted Starmer with the harsh reality that despite societal progress, violence against the LGBTQ+ community remains a grim and present danger.
Starmer described the wedding as a joyous occasion for his family, the first gay wedding he had attended with his children, making the subsequent attack all the more harrowing. ‘I thought the days of beating up people because they were gay were well behind us,’ he said.
The prime minister linked this incident to a wider political and social malaise, voicing concerns about an environment increasingly marked by division and polarization. He warned that the UK risks becoming a country fractured by hate and discord. In speeches through 2025, Starmer has frequently emphasised the dangers posed by far-right movements and divisive rhetoric, which he believes are tearing the country apart. Addressing his cabinet in September, he condemned the rise of far-right intimidation particularly targeting ethnic minorities and called for unity against this ‘toxic division.’ Likewise, he has identified the resurgence of racism in political discourse as a critical threat to national cohesion.
Source: Noah Wire Services
