Salman Rushdie Speaks Out on Racism, Politics, and Survival
So, let me walk you through this fascinating and deeply personal conversation Sir Salman Rushdie recently had, where he opened up about the state of the UK, rising prejudice, and even the surprising direction of British politics. His reflections came during an interview on LBC with Andrew Marr, and the way he framed things felt both nostalgic and painfully current.
Rushdie shared that he believes a kind of casual racism—something he remembers vividly from the 1970s—has returned to Britain. It wasn’t said lightly. He explained that the country seems to be shrinking, not just economically or in global influence, but in its own sense of identity. England, he pointed out, was always a small island that somehow ended up ruling a massive chunk of the world, and the slow unraveling of that empire required a long overdue reckoning. That part didn’t shock him. What did shock him was the revival of prejudiced attitudes he thought had been left behind.
When he was asked whether he truly believed casual racism had resurfaced in 2025, he admitted that yes, to some degree, it had. He even recalled the racism he himself experienced as a boarding school student—those moments that leave a mark so deep that, even if life moves on, the memory never fully leaves. He said it doesn’t bother him anymore, but it was clear the imprint remains.
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The conversation then shifted toward politics, where Rushdie didn’t hold back. He expressed genuine surprise at how quickly Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government had lost momentum after its massive victory in July 2024. When asked whether he felt let down, he replied honestly: yes. And yet, if he were able to vote, Labour would still earn his support. What struck him most was how rapidly the government had gone from triumphant to unpopular—an impressive fall, as he described it.
Rushdie is no stranger to turbulence. His life changed dramatically after the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988, when a fatwa was issued against him. Then in 2022, he survived a brutal knife attack that left him blind in one eye. The attacker, Hadi Matar, stabbed him repeatedly on stage, an act that almost killed him. Matar was later sentenced to 25 years in prison, but the impact on Rushdie’s life will be permanent.
Despite all of this, Rushdie speaks with a calm, almost reflective energy. He blends concern for the present with an awareness of the past, urging people to think more deeply about what kind of society Britain is becoming. His words land with the weight of someone who has lived through extremism, violence, fame, controversy, and reinvention—and still chooses to speak with honesty and clarity.
It’s a reminder that conversations about prejudice and politics aren’t abstract. They’re lived, remembered, and felt. And when someone like Rushdie speaks on these issues, it’s worth paying attention.
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