Starmer rebukes Farage over Andrew Tate toxic masculinity

2 godzin temu

Sir Keir Starmer has warned that boys are being drawn into a dangerous world of "toxic masculinity" online as he announced an £88 million funding boost for youth services. The Prime Minister said the package would help cut children's screen time by offering alternatives to "damaging" social media content.

He directly criticised Nigel Farage for previously describing misogynist influencer Andrew Tate as "an important voice" for young men. Starmer said the Reform UK leader was on the "wrong side of where most families are" on this issue.

£88 million youth services expansion

The funding will see £22.5 million over three years used to provide extracurricular activities in 400 schools across the country. These will include sport, art, music, outdoor activities, debating and volunteering opportunities.

Groups like the Scouts and Guides will receive £7.5 million to offer more places in local communities. A further £30.5 million will improve youth club infrastructure in areas with the highest levels of child poverty.

Boys "sucked into" harmful content

Speaking during a visit to Milton Keynes on Wednesday, Starmer said young people were spending "much too much time on social media" and becoming "isolated in their bedrooms". He highlighted particular concerns about boys being exposed to unhealthy narratives online.

"Boys in particular sort of drawn into, there's a lot of sort of male toxic masculinity if you like, the boys get attracted to, get sucked into," he told Channel 5 News. The expansion is part of wider Government efforts to stem what Downing Street called a "worrying" trend of children becoming "detached from the real world".

Prime Minister calls out Andrew Tate

When asked about Farage's previous comments supporting Tate, Starmer said he felt a duty "as a Prime Minister" and "as a dad" to call out such figures. He said influencers like Tate often combined attractive messages about becoming "a strong, successful, wealthy man" with misogyny.

"I just think Nigel Farage is completely wrong and think he's on the wrong side of where most families are because they don't want their boys being drawn into this world," Starmer said. He warned such content would not be good for boys' future relationships or for girls and young women.

Farage defends nuanced debate

Since becoming an MP, Farage has said he is "not a fan" of Tate but called for "a nuanced debate about why Tate has got 10 million followers". At a press conference in March, he complained about being "shouted down as if I'm his right-hand man" when trying to raise these issues.

During his Milton Keynes visit, former flautist Starmer highlighted the benefits of children learning music. He said it could help young people develop teamwork skills, build confidence and learn interpersonal abilities that businesses desperately need.

Music builds essential skills

"Music is a big part of my life. I enjoy it hugely, but not enough children have the opportunity to play music," he told Classic FM. He said many businesses could teach technical skills but struggled with young people lacking "eye contact, the confidence, the working in a team".

The youth services expansion forms part of wider Government efforts to ensure "no child falls through the cracks" ahead of publishing a national youth strategy this autumn. Young people have been contributing to the strategy's development through focus groups and surveys.

Political reactions mixed

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said local youth services were the "bedrock of thriving communities" and that Wednesday's announcement was "just the beginning". She said the Government was "putting young people at the heart of our mission-led government".

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award charity welcomed the funding but urged ministers to go further in guaranteeing "enrichment opportunities" for every young person. Chief operating officer John Egan called it "an investment in the resilience, confidence and future of young people".

Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said any investment in youth services was welcome after Labour "scrapped the National Citizen Service which gave over a million young people valuable opportunities". However, he warned that young people needed "a growing economy that can offer jobs and opportunities in the future".

Liberal Democrat technology spokeswoman Victoria Collins MP called for the Government to go further by banning social media firms from harvesting data from children under 16. She said "harmful algorithms are pushing thousands into dark corners of the internet" and this should be "a number one priority".

(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

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