Home Secretary defends PM’s immigration speech after backlash
The Home Secretary has defended the Prime Minister’s choice of language after he received criticism for claiming that the UK risked becoming “an island of strangers” without major reform to the immigration system.
Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who was suspended from Labour after voting against welfare reforms, posted on X: “Talk of an “island of strangers” shockingly echoes the divisive language of Enoch Powell.”
In response, Yvette Cooper said Starmer’s words and message were “completely different” to those Powell used half a century ago.
Cooper also pointed out that Starmer’s speech recognised and praised immigrants’ contribution to the UK.
In Monday’s speech, in which Starmer promised to reduce to the reduce the number of migrants coming to the UK, he said: “We talked last week about the great rebuilding of this country after the war; migrants were part of that, and they make a massive contribution today. You will never hear me denigrate that.”
The “Rivers of Blood” speech was delivered by MP Enoch Powell in 1968 in opposition to immigration into the UK. Powell said the British “found themselves made strangers in their own country.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was among the Labour figures who took issue with the speech, telling LBC: “That’s not the sort of words I would use.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said “the use of that language was not in Keir Starmer’s interest. It’s a catastrophic mistake that will divide the left for years to come.”
Responding to the government’s immigration reforms, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Labour has blocked every single measure we’ve put forward to cut immigration and stop abuse of the system.
“Now they’re pushing one half-arsed proposal — it’s weak, it won’t work. It’s time they stopped playing games and backed our Deportation bill.”
Robert Jenrick, shadow justice secretary, added that the UK is “already an island of strangers,” and that “we are a very divided and segregated society.”