Sir Keir Starmer says he regrets calling Black Lives Matter movement 'a moment'
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer (Credit: PA)
1 min read
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said he regrets describing the Black Lives Matter movement as "a moment".
He drew criticism earlier this week after being asked about calls to defund the police - a key element of the campaign - which he claimed would be "nonsense".
"The Black Lives Matter movement, or moment if you like [is] broader," the former Director of Public Prosecutions said.
But on Thursday, during a Q&A with black UK journalists, Sir Keir told the BBC's Rianna Croxford: "If people have thought [I] meant something else, then of course I regret that.
"This is not a moment for not standing with the Black Lives Matter movement and the injustice that is being exposed."
He also told The Voice news organisation: "It's a historic moment in the long fight for racial equality."
The Labour leader said he believed the protests, sparked after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis in May, had been a "defining moment".
Black Lives Matter UK later clarified its call to defund the police, tweeting that its aim was to secure more investment in "programmes that actually keep us safe like youth services, mental health and social care, education, jobs and housing".
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