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Sir Keir Starmer has firmly denied claims that he echoed Enoch Powell in a significant immigration speech, with Downing Street stating he stands by his remarks.
The Prime Minister has faced backlash over his language in the speech, delivered on Monday, where he outlined plans to tighten controls on legal migration to the UK. He warned that the country risked becoming an “island of strangers” without stricter immigration measures.
Critics, including some Labour backbenchers, have drawn parallels between Starmer’s comments and a passage from Powell’s notorious 1968 “rivers of blood” speech. Powell, who was a senior Conservative at the time, claimed that increased migration could make white Britons feel like “strangers in their own country,” a statement that led to his dismissal from the Tory frontbench.
Starmer’s spokesperson firmly rejected the comparison, emphasizing that the Prime Minister “absolutely stands behind the argument” that while migrants contribute significantly to the UK, migration must be controlled.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also defended Starmer, stating that his comments were “completely different” from Powell’s and highlighting the Prime Minister’s acknowledgment of the UK’s diversity as a source of strength. She added that Starmer’s focus was on managing the immigration system effectively, given its impact on vital sectors such as healthcare.
Meanwhile, Labour figures like shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick claimed that in some areas, the UK is “already an island of strangers” due to what he described as “aggressive levels of mass migration.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan distanced themselves from Starmer’s language, with both stating they would not use such terminology.
Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Labour backbencher Olivia Blake warned that Starmer’s comments could risk legitimizing far-right rhetoric. Similarly, Richard Burgon, Labour MP for Leeds East, called the remarks “an act of political desperation” and urged the Prime Minister to apologize.
Nigel Farage, representing the Reform UK party, criticized the Government’s proposals, claiming they fail to adequately address border control. Meanwhile, employers in the care sector voiced concerns about the potential impact of scrapping care worker visas, a key aspect of the proposed immigration policy changes.
