Sir Keir Starmer has warned of politicians trying to “point fingers and divide”, as the Government prepared to publish its plan for social cohesion.
The Prime Minister said one of his biggest concerns was people in politics who he said “want to set up grievances between different groups of people”.
Sir Keir insisted the UK is a diverse country where people can live alongside each other in tolerance – something he said Britons should be proud of.
On Monday the Government is expected to set out its plan for social cohesion, including measures aiming to promote integration, tackle religious hatred and clamp down on extremist influence in institutions such as charities and universities.
A new confidential whistleblowing route for staff to raise concerns and a “campus cohesion charter” will be introduced in an effort to boost protection for university students and staff.
The steps aim to help universities meet their Prevent duty – the legal requirement for providers to take action to stop people being radicalised and drawn into terrorism.
The Charity Commission will meanwhile get powers to shut down charities and swiftly remove trustees to tackle “extremist abuse” of the sector.
And an annual report on the state of extremism will be brought in to set out the nature and scale of the threat facing the UK.
The Government will also bolster the visa watchlist taskforce in a bid to block hate preachers and extremists from entering the country.
The plan was also expected to include a new definition of Islamophobia or anti-Muslim hatred, while it has been reported there will also be an announcement on the creation of an “anti-Muslim hostility” tsar.
Sir Keir, speaking during a visit to a community centre in London on Monday, said: “One of my biggest concerns at the moment is that there are people in politics who want to set up grievances between different groups of people, to point fingers and divide and say that we can’t be one country, we can’t be one community. I totally disagree with that.
“I think one of the great things about this country is we’re a diverse country, where we prove that different people can live alongside each other in a tolerant way, with our values.
“Actually, that’s more than just an observation on who we are as a country. It’s what we are as a country. That is us. We should hold that close. We should be proud of it.”
Sir Keir said the current Iran conflict is being used as a means of dividing different communities within the UK.
He said: “It is a really sad feature, isn’t it, at a time like this, that some people will try and use it as an opportunity to divide?
“On two levels we’re working: The first is we have to be really conscious that where people want to divide at the moment in relation to this conflict, it’s in the space of trying to divide the Muslim community and the Jewish community.”
He said the plan being unveiled on Monday is “not just a reaction to this conflict, it is much broader, which is how we bring the country together”.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said the plan “heralds a patriotic renewal of our communities and the bonds within them – a driving mission for this Government”.
Communities Secretary Steve Reed said: “The UK is a multi-ethnic, diverse society and we should celebrate each other’s cultures and traditions and the shared values that unite us as a nation.
“We must listen to people’s concerns about growing divisions and take action to bring our communities back together.
“That’s why we are investing to restore pride, empowering people to transform where they live and uniting people around love of their local area.”
Shadow communities secretary Sir James Cleverly said: “This is a Government that talks about extremism and division but is too weak to take the action actually required.
“After the Gorton and Denton by-election it’s clear Labour would rather pander to the extremes than confront the difficult causes of growing separatism in Britain.
“As Kemi Badenoch made clear last week, people who come to Britain should join our shared national culture, not live apart from it.”
