Sir Keir Starmer has slammed populists who “exploit” the England flag to stir up threats and cast a “dark shadow of fear and violence”.

The Prime Minister said the UK is “at a crossroads” and must move away from “division and decline,” which “a small minority” is trying to do.

Sir Keir said he understands the anger that led to over 150,000 Britons marching in the “Unite the Kingdom” demonstration.

He criticised the likes of Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk as he accused them of using the flag to create violence and division.

He told The Sun: “I know what a source of pride our flag can be, and what it means to people.

“Which makes it all the more shameful when people exploit that symbol to stoke anger and division.

“I know people feel angry that the country they love doesn’t seem to work for them… but a small minority see instead an opportunity to whip up hatred.”

Some 150,000 Britons marched through London last weekend, carrying St George’s and Union flags.

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Mr Musk told the demonstration via videolink: “Whether you choose violence or not, violence is coming to you. You either fight back or you die.”

Criticising Mr Musk and Mr Robinson, the Prime Minister said: “When populist politicians, convicted criminals, and foreign billionaires take to the stage to encourage violence, make racist comments, and threaten our democracy, it casts a dark shadow of fear and violence across our society.

“This is a struggle for the heart and soul of our nation. But it’s not between ordinary people who simply want a better life for their families.

“It’s between patriots who care about our country, and populists who only care about themselves.”

Mr Robinson claimed “millions of patriots” attended the march, which featured several speakers, including right-wing French politician Eric Zemmour, Danish People’s Party leader Morten Messerschmidt, Petr Bystron of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, Polish MEP Dominik Tarczynski, Belgian activist Filip Dewinter, and Mayor of London challenger Ant Middleton.

GB News spoke to Britons who attended the rally, with one saying: “I’m fed up with the way the country is going and the lack of freedom of speech.

“I’m fed up with the flooding of our waters by foreigners arriving on boats.”

Another added: “I have to come and support the event which is uniting the whole country, bringing the country together.

“I have been integrated. I have to respect the culture, the people, and the Government.”

GB News’ Dougie Beattie described what he saw at the march.

He said: “You can hear people have all sorts of reasons. There are all sorts of ethnic minorities here. People want their culture and rights to come first. We have seen flags being shunned in recent weeks.

“We saw that in Northern Ireland by Tony Blair’s Government in the 1990s. It’s good to see that flag here among the other flags. People here want their freedom of speech, they want the boats to stop, they want their own rights first.”