2 w. ago A Labour lost in the weeds can’t rebuild this country. Starmer must regain his nerve | John Harris

Labour has good ideas and years left to change Britain. Why is it acting as if its time is almost up? Just under a week on from Keir Starmer’s latest pronouncements about immigration, plenty of people on his own side are still gripped by a queasy sense of fury and disappointment, and it shows no signs of fading away. His aides and allies will now try to gladden left-liberal hearts by emphasising gains from Monday’s UK-EU summit, and the prime minister’s remodelling of Brexit. But the acrid cloud hanging over Starmer will surely remain, and with good reason.Whatever the surrounding context – and whether or not he was consciously echoing Enoch Powell – his suggestion that Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers” still sounded like a horribly calculated provocation. The insistence that the government was set on closing “a squalid chapter for our politics, our economy, and our country” was even more brazen. So was the suggestion after years of “a one-nation experiment in open bo...

Politics

2 w. ago 'Dumbest of dumb politics' Nicola Sturgeon blasts Prime Minister's immigration speech

The former First Minister waded in after Sir Keir Starmer said the UK risked becoming an 'island of strangers' if immigration curbs were not implemented.

Politics

3 w. ago Refugee charities demand meeting with Yvette Cooper after sweeping changes to immigration rules

Exclusive: More than 100 charities and civil society groups call for ‘meaningful dialogue’ with home secretary after tough new immigration plans unveiled

Events

3 w. ago Starmer mocked by Farage for ‘learning a great deal’ from Reform UK after immigration backlash

It came after furious backlash to the prime minister's claim that the UK risks becoming an ‘island of strangers’

Economics

3 w. ago No 10 defends Starmer’s language on immigration likened to Enoch Powell speech

Downing Street says it is wrong to compare PM’s warning about ‘island of strangers’ to 1968 ‘rivers of blood’ speechDowning Street has robustly defended Keir Starmer’s language on immigration, which has been likened to that used by Enoch Powell, rejecting the direct comparison but saying the prime minister would not “shy away” from direct talk about the subject.A series of MPs criticised Starmer for his rhetoric when introducing a new policy paper on immigration on Monday, particularly his warning that the UK risked becoming “an island of strangers”, a near-direct echo of language used by Powell in his infamous 1968 “rivers of blood” speech. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Welsh First Minister says she will not use ‘divisive language’ on immigration

Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan refused to say whether she supported the Prime Minister saying the UK risked becoming an ‘island of strangers’.

Politics

3 w. ago Starmer ‘completely rejects’ claims he echoed Enoch Powell in migration speech

The Prime Minister warned the UK risked becoming an ‘island of strangers’ if migration controls were not tightened.

Politics

3 w. ago Home secretary grilled over Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ immigration remark

Yvette Cooper refused four times on Tuesday to repeat Sir Keir Starmer’s “island of strangers” warning about the risks of sky-high migration into the UK.

Society

3 w. ago 'Britain is already an island of strangers': Tory Robert Jenrick echoes Keir Starmer's hardline migrant speech

The shadow justice minister also hit out at so-called 'white flight' in a series of interviews after Labour unveiled new plans to control immigration.

Events

3 w. ago Starmer faces Labour revolt over 'island of strangers' crackdown on immigration

Keir Starmer suggested uncontrolled immigration risked the UK becoming an 'island of strangers' as he unveiled proposals for curbing numbers yesterday.

Politics

3 w. ago An island of strangers? Tell us about it, Sir Keir. But none of your tinkering will make a blind bit of difference: DANIEL HANNAN

'We risk becoming an island of strangers,' said Sir Keir Starmer yesterday, 'not a nation that walks forward together.'

Politics

3 w. ago Starmer defends plans to curb net migration after backlash from MPs

Prime minister’s ‘island of strangers’ speech was likened to rhetoric of Enoch PowellKeir Starmer has defended his plans to curb net migration after an angry backlash from MPs, businesses and industry to a speech in which he said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” without tough new policies.The rhetoric was likened by some critics to the language of Enoch Powell, and the prime minister was accused of pandering to the populist right by insisting he intended to “take back control of our borders” and end a “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Starmer accused of echoing far right with ‘island of strangers’ speech

Prime minister’s immigration speech was likened by MPs to rhetoric of Enoch PowellKeir Starmer has defended his plans to curb net migration after an angry backlash from MPs, businesses and industry to a speech in which he said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” without tough new policies.The rhetoric was likened by some critics to the language of Enoch Powell, and the prime minister was accused of pandering to the populist right by insisting he intended to “take back control of our borders” and end a “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UK risks becoming ‘island of strangers’ without more immigration curbs, Starmer says

PM unveils policies to ‘significantly’ drive down net migration including English tests and degree requirementsUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK risks becoming an “island of strangers” without tougher immigration policies, Keir Starmer has said, as official estimates show there could be 100,000 fewer migrants every year under new policies outlined on Monday.The prime minister said his government would “take back control of our borders” and close the book on a “squalid chapter” of rising inward migration as he unveiled a radical crackdown. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Coachload of newly arrived Channel migrants mock Starmer's immigration crackdown: On the same day he vowed to 'take back control' and stop UK becoming 'island of strangers'

The latest incomers are on the same day the Prime Minister admitted mass immigration risks making Britain an 'island of strangers' as he vowed action.

Events

3 w. ago Starmer lays out immigration controls after ‘incalculable damage’ to society

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said without fair rules and shared values, ‘we risk becoming an island of strangers’.

Events

3 w. ago Coachload of newly arrived migrants humiliate Starmer on day he vowed to stop them

The latest incomers are on the same day the Prime Minister admitted mass immigration risks making Britain an 'island of strangers' as he vowed action.

Events

3 w. ago Panicking Starmer admits mass immigration risks making Britain an 'island of strangers' as he tries to head off Reform surge

Keir Starmer deployed the Brexit slogan at a press conference in Downing Street as he pledged to end the 'betrayal' of Britain's reliance on cheap foreign labour.

Events

3 w. ago 'This plan means migration will fall. That's a promise': Keir Starmer unveils immigration crackdown

The Prime Minister said tougher restrictions were needed, warning that Britain risked becoming 'an island of strangers'

Politics

3 w. ago UK risks becoming ‘island of strangers’, says PM as he unveils immigration plans

The Prime Minister said the Labour Government would ‘take back control of our borders’.

Events