Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of making one “big mistake” in his Labour conference speech – and a GB News star says it could end up playing straight into Nigel Farage’s hands. Broadcaster Michael Crick claimed Labour looked “clearly rattled” by Reform UK and argued Starmer blundered by giving Farage too much airtime from the stage.

Speaking on GB News, Crick said: “I think that Labour is clearly rattled by reform and Farage and the stats that came out last week showing which MPs would lose their seats were terrifying. But I think it’s a mistake that Starmer mentioned Farage so many times.” Crick added: “I think it’s not credible to say that Nigel Farage doesn’t like this country, doesn’t believe in Britain. That will not go down well with Reform supporters or Labour supporters thinking of voting Reform.

“I also agree that to describe Reform’s policies as racist I don’t think that can be justified and I also agree with you that it may put off Labour people thinking of defecting to Reform.”

Even so, he admitted Starmer’s address had force: “The overall thrust of what Starmer did today was coherent and fighting back against Reform and saying look – Farage is guilty of talking this country down, and he did so in America and that is wrong… I think that was the best speech that Starmer has made at the Labour conference since 2021.”

Starmer had gone on the offensive during his keynote, declaring: “Nigel Farage doesn’t like Britain” and accusing him of trying to turn the UK into “a competition of victims.”

He railed against “the politics of grievance,” attacked those who “sold Brexit lies,” and told activists the country faced a “fork in the road” between his Labour government and Reform UK.

Farage fired back with venom, blasting Starmer as “unfit” to be prime minister and accusing him of desperation.

Crick also dredged up historic allegations about Farage’s school days. He said: “I want to talk about the issue of the Hitler Youth because I think I may have played a role in putting their story into the public domain.

“It all stems from a letter that one of his teachers said at school saying that Farage was on a CCF camp and involved in singing Hitler Youth songs.

“And that was the only source for that allegation which I repeated on Channel 4 News many years ago… I always acknowledge that Farage has denied it and I also should say that there’s no other source that says that Farage was involved.”

Those claims, first raised in 2013, have always been denied by the Reform leader. A party source told the BBC at the time: “It’s disgusting and libellous. Beneath contempt.”

Starmer also used his speech to outline new policies, pledging to ditch the university target in favour of “gold standard apprenticeships” and unveiling an NHS Online service aimed at cutting waiting times.