Labour MP says Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ comment ‘mimics scaremongering of far right’
The leftwing Labour MP Nadia Whittome has criticised Keir Starmer for saying this morning Britain risked becoming “an island of strangers” without fair immigration controls. (See 9.53am.) She posted these on Bluesky.
The step-up in anti-migrant rhetoric from the government is shameful and dangerous.
Migrants are our neighbours, friends and family.
To suggest that Britain risks becoming “an island of strangers” because of immigration mimics the scaremongering of the far-right.
Blaming migrants for a housing crisis and failing public services lets the real culprits off the hook: landlordism, chronic underinvestment and deepening inequality.
Labour was elected to tackle those, not parrot Reform’s scapegoating, which will never improve people’s lives.
Other leftwingers have said similar things. This is from Apsana Begum, who was elected as a Labour MP but who is currently suspended over a rebel vote.
I’m proud to represent an East London constituency where diversity is a strength —where communities include migrants from all around the world.
We must end, not embolden, the hostile environment.
I will be voting against the Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Bill this week.
And this is from Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who was elected last year as an independent.
The problems in our society are not caused by migrants or refugees.
They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires.
If the government wanted to improve people’s lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.
Key events
Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ comment not anti-migrant, says minister
Labour MP says Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ comment ‘mimics scaremongering of far right’
White paper plans could ‘jeopardise sustainability’ of universities, sector warns
‘Crushing blow’ – Care England condemns ‘cruel’ decision to stop issuing social care visas
White paper plans will have ‘devastating’ impact on care sector, says Scotland’s SNP government
CBI expresses concerns about white paper, suggesting PM wrong to say businesses reliant on cheap foreign labour
Immigration white paper plans could ‘damage rather than encourage integration’, thinktank says
Green party dismisses immigration white paper plans as ‘panicked and misguided’
Farage says Reform UK only party committed to leaving ECHR to tackle illegal migration
Badenoch claims Starmer not sincere about wanting to reduce immigration
Starmer claims soaring immigration has done ‘incalculable’ damage to UK, economically and politically
Starmer says leaving ECHR would stop UK negotiating migration crackdown deals and return agreements
How Home Office summarises plans in its immigration white paper
Home Office publishes white paper, claiming its measures could cut immigration numbers by around 100,000
Key points from Starmer’s press conference on immigration
Starmer rejects claim he has changed his views on deporting foreign criminals
Starmer says, if further policies needed to cut net migration, he will introduce them
Starmer promises net migration will fall ‘significantly’ by end of this parliament
Starmer rejects claim immigration white paper is just ploy to see off electoral threat from Reform UK
Starmer says his policies will deliver ‘take back control’ of migration promised, but not delivered, by Tory Brexiters
Care sector expresses alarm about plan to end international recruitment of care workers
Keir Starmer to announce new measures to ‘tighten up’ immigration system
Zarah Sultana, another MP suspended from the Labour party over a rebel leftwing vote (see 1.40pm), has accused Keir Starmer of emulating Nigel Farage and Enoch Powell with his speech this morning. She posted these on Bluesky.
Did Nigel Farage write this speech?
Dehumanising and divisive. We deserve better than this.
The Prime Minister imitating Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech is sickening.
That speech fuelled decades of racism and division. Echoing it today is a disgrace. It adds to anti-migrant rhetoric that puts lives at risk.
Shame on you, Keir Starmer.
Comments like this suggest Sultana has given up all hope of having the whip restored.
Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ comment not anti-migrant, says minister
In an interview on the World at One, Seema Malhotra, the minister for migration and citizenship, was asked what Keir Starmer meant this morning when he talked about the risk of the UK becoming “an island of strangers”. She replied:
What that really recognises is that, without ways in which we’ve got common ties that bind us together, the way in which we can communicate well with each other, neighbours can talk to each other, people can play a part and play a role in their communities, we risk being communities that live side by side, rather than work and walk together.
She also said speaking English was part of this. The white paper includes plans to tighten English language requirements for immigrants.
When the presenter, Sarah Montague, asked if Starmer was saying there were too many people coming to the UK from overseas when he made this remark, Malhotra replied: “That’s not what he was saying.” She said Starmer also made a point of saying migration and diversity have been good for Britain.
Downing Street has now published the text of the speech that Keir Starmer gave at the start of his press conference this morning on its website.
Care4Calais, a refugee charity, has also critcised Keir Starmer for his “island of strangers” comment. (See 1.40pm.) Steve Smith, its chief executive, told the BBC:
This is dangerous language for any prime minister to use. Has Starmer forgotten last year’s far-right riots?
Shameful language like this will only inflame the fire of the far-right and risks further race riots that endanger survivors of horrors such as war, torture and modern slavery. Starmer must apologise.
Labour MP says Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ comment ‘mimics scaremongering of far right’
The leftwing Labour MP Nadia Whittome has criticised Keir Starmer for saying this morning Britain risked becoming “an island of strangers” without fair immigration controls. (See 9.53am.) She posted these on Bluesky.
The step-up in anti-migrant rhetoric from the government is shameful and dangerous.
Migrants are our neighbours, friends and family.
To suggest that Britain risks becoming “an island of strangers” because of immigration mimics the scaremongering of the far-right.
Blaming migrants for a housing crisis and failing public services lets the real culprits off the hook: landlordism, chronic underinvestment and deepening inequality.
Labour was elected to tackle those, not parrot Reform’s scapegoating, which will never improve people’s lives.
Other leftwingers have said similar things. This is from Apsana Begum, who was elected as a Labour MP but who is currently suspended over a rebel vote.
I’m proud to represent an East London constituency where diversity is a strength —where communities include migrants from all around the world.
We must end, not embolden, the hostile environment.
I will be voting against the Border Security, Asylum & Immigration Bill this week.
And this is from Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader who was elected last year as an independent.
The problems in our society are not caused by migrants or refugees.
They are caused by an economic system rigged in favour of corporations and billionaires.
If the government wanted to improve people’s lives, it would tax the rich and build an economy that works for us all.
White paper plans could ‘jeopardise sustainability’ of universities, sector warns
Universities are worried about the impact of some of the measures in the white paper – in particular the proposal for “a levy on higher education provider income from international students, to be reinvested into the higher education and skills system”. This was not widely flagged up in advance, and the white paper does not say how this would work. It just says further details will be announced in the budget in the autumn.
Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, the main group representing universities, said in a statement:
Following years of frozen fees, inadequate research funding and a rapid downturn in international students, the current operating environment is very challenging. We would urge government to think carefully about the impact that a levy on international student fees will have on universities and the attractiveness of the UK as a study destination.
Stern described the separate changes to the graduate visas rules as “minor”. Rosalind Gill, head of policy at the National Centre for Universities and Business, which promotes links between universities and business, said the white paper plans posed “major risks”. She said:
Further restrictions on graduate visas, and a new international student levy, will jeopardise the sustainability and global connectivity of UK universities. International students are significant contributors to the UK, fuelling research, innovation, and global partnerships. [The proposed immigration bill’s] curbs will diminish our competitiveness in the global education market, undermining the vital contributions that universities make to both the economy and national prosperity.
Yvette Cooper is giving a statement to MPs later about the white paper. But it won’t start at 3.30pm, when questions finish, because there are two urgent questions first: on protecting prison staff from violence, and on the impact of the US-UK trade deal on Northern Ireland. That means Cooper is likely to be up at some point between 4.30pm and 5pm.
‘Crushing blow’ – Care England condemns ‘cruel’ decision to stop issuing social care visas
Care England, which represents adult social care providers, has described the immigration white paper plans as “a crushing blow”. Under the plans, the government will close applications for new social care visas.
Martin Green, Care England’s chief executive, said in a statement:
This is a crushing blow to an already fragile sector. The government is kicking us while we’re already down.
For years, the sector has been propping itself up with dwindling resources, rising costs, and mounting vacancies. International recruitment wasn’t a silver bullet, but it was a lifeline. Taking it away now, with no warning, no funding, and no alternative, is not just short-sighted – it’s cruel.
We’re told to wait for the employment rights bill and a fair pay agreement, but those reforms are years away and come with no significant funding attached. In the meantime, we’ve lost 70,000 domestic workers over the last two years, vacancies still remain sky-high, and many providers are on the brink of collapse. Who do ministers think is going to care for people tomorrow, next week, or next month?
The Home Office has published various reports alongside the immigration white paper.
An evaluation of how the skilled worker route is used
An evaluation of how the student visa route is used
A report on tax paid by people on work and family visas
An evaluation of how graduate visas are used
An evaluation of how high-potential individual visas are used
White paper plans will have ‘devastating’ impact on care sector, says Scotland’s SNP government
The SNP government in Scotland has said the UK government’s immigration white paper will have a “devastating” impact on the care sector. In a statement, Scotland’s equalities minister Kaukab Stewart said:
The UK Government’s plans on migration stand in stark contrast to our values and they do not reflect Scotland’s distinct population needs …
Scotland needs talented and committed people from across the world to live, work and study here without excessive barriers. A one-size fits all approach to immigration fails to meet the needs of Scotland and much of the UK. In particular, any plans to end international recruitment of care workers will be devastating for the care sector in Scotland and across the UK.
The SNP wants Scotland to get powers over immigration policy – but Wesminster has always refused, on the grounds that it would not be practical for Scotland and England to have different immigration rules when they share an open border.
