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According to Kevin Schofield from Huff Post UK, Mr Starmer was speaking at a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party when he gave the threat. The Labour leader reportedly made it clear that members would be expelled if they justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by criticising NATO.<\/p>\n
He said: “There will be no place in this party for false equivalence between the actions of Russia and the actions of NATO.<\/p>\n
“Labour’s commitment to democracy, the rule of law and the sovereignty of independent nations is unshakable.<\/p>\n
“Vladimir Putin is attacking all those things. NATO is defending them.<\/p>\n
“There are groups in this country who haven’t seemed to understand that difference.”<\/p>\n
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Mr Starmer also warned that the war in Ukraine will make the cost-of-living crisis worse.<\/p>\n
He argued that the economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the UK will have an economic impact on the UK.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he argued the planned rise in national insurance contributions should not go ahead.<\/p>\n
He said: “We must be clear and honest with the British people though these sanctions will have a knock-on effect here. <\/p>\n
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“But that’s no reason for the Government to wash their hands of the situation.<\/p>\n
“The increases we will see don’t replace the cost-of-living crisis we already had. They exacerbate it.<\/p>\n
“The idea that Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson’s tax rise on working people can still go ahead in April now is just laughable.”<\/p>\n
It comes only days after Mr Starmer threatened to withdraw the whip from 11 MPS and three Peers who had signed a petition critical of NATO. <\/p>\n
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