Keir Starmer blasted by Bev Turner for 'talking down' to Britons in scathing rant: 'Totalitarian bully!'

Having previously claimed that those rioting are "far-right", "thugs" and "racists", Starmer told the nation: "The riots didn't just betray the sickness, they revealed the cure, found not in the cynical conflict of populism but in the coming together of a country the morning after and cleared up their community.

"Because that is who we are, that is what we stand for. People who cared for their neighbour. Communities who stood fast against hatred and division."

Reacting to the speech, host Bev Turner criticised Starmer for "not stepping into the shoes of a Prime Minister yet", telling the PM: "You can only whinge for so long about things that you don't feel responsible for".

Highlighting Starmer's remarks about populism, Bev said she had hoped one of the journalists at the Rose Garden "would have asked him what he meant by populism" following his speech.

Bev fumed: "I was desperate for one of the journalists to say 'what do you mean by populism' when he blamed the riots on the rise of populism. What do you actually mean when you use that word?

"I think what he's saying is people who like Coronation Street, who might like Donald Trump and who might like GB News. Populism, this idea that it's the silly people, the thick people, not the intellectual political elite with whom I hang around with, that's what he sounded like to me."

Sharing his thoughts on the 20-minute long speech from Starmer, co-host Andrew Pierce highlighted one particular word that the Prime Minister "didn't mention once", despite speaking in detail about the riots.

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Andrew told GB News: "In that speech, he did not use the word immigration once. It might be one of the biggest issues of the day, but Labour won't talk about it.

"We're not excusing the riots, they were shocking. They were cretins who were smashing up buildings and trying to burn down libraries. But there is an underlying issue that drives some of the concern of people, in particular northern towns and cities, about the scale of immigration, and he didn't mention immigration once, yet talked endlessly about the riots."

Noting her support for Starmer and a desire for Britain to "not go to hell in a handcart", Bev expressed her concern for the leader's "draconian and authoritarian" approach to the country's big issues.

Bev responded: "I wish him well. I genuinely don't want this country to go to hell in a handcart, I want him to do a good job.

"We all need to feel like we have more money in our pocket at the end of the month. We all need to feel hope and optimism in our hearts, and he is just not engendering that for the country at all. More censorship, more draconian, authoritarian sort of view on the world."

Sharing with GB News the "one moment" she "can't get out of her head" about Starmer, Bev continued: "When he was asked that question about if you had a loved one who was dying, would you use private health care and he said no, that for me spoke volumes about a man who puts ideology and principle above humanity and love and kindness.

"Don't get me wrong, principles are good, there's not enough of them in public life. But to put principle above humanity and love, that's where I see him. I think he's a bit of a totalitarian bully - I don't know if I believe him."

Andrew agreed, responding: "Well, it's terrifying if it's true because you would scrape every last penny you could together if it was to save the person you love most. To get them that life-saving operation, what would you sell? Everything."