Keir Starmer has come out swinging after being accused of echoing Enoch Powell’s infamous rhetoric in his recent speech on immigration. Dismissing the comparisons as “complete nonsense,” the Prime Minister insisted his message was about unity, not division.
Speaking to GB News, Starmer defended his comments after saying Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers” if migration wasn’t better managed. That phrase has drawn heat from some within his own party, with critics highlighting its uncomfortable similarity to Powell’s 1968 warning that white Britons could feel like “strangers in their own country.”
“I’ve always believed in the patriotism that Labour’s long embodied,” Starmer said. “We are proud of our country. We take our country forward by bringing our neighbours together, by being a community, not by being strangers. A strong Labour value.”
He pushed back strongly on the suggestion that his words were dog-whistle politics. “That’s a complete nonsense,” he said. “Migrants have added a huge contribution and changed our country for the better, and I celebrate our diversity.”
The PM was clear that while migration had brought many benefits, change was needed to ensure the system worked for everyone. “We do that as friends, as colleagues, as neighbours in a community,” he added. “I want to lead a country that’s moving forward, facing up to the challenges of the future.”
Starmer’s speech, delivered on Monday, outlined new plans to tighten legal migration. This includes scrapping the social care visa, raising English language requirements for applicants and their families, and making it harder to secure settled status. It’s all part of a tougher line on immigration that some say is aimed at swaying voters who’ve been drifting toward Reform UK.
But the backlash from within Labour hasn’t gone unnoticed. Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the speech “shockingly echoes the divisive language of Enoch Powell.” Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana has also reportedly raised concerns about the direction of the party’s messaging.
Still, a YouGov poll carried out on Tuesday suggested most of the public are actually behind Starmer’s stance – a potential indicator of how deeply immigration continues to shape political debate.
Reform UK’s Sarah Pochin, however, was quick to scoff at Labour’s announcement. “They’ve seen our success and now they’re trying to sound tough,” she said. “But it’s just a bit of bluster, a bit of waffle.”
With tensions rising both inside and outside his party, Starmer’s trying to strike a careful balance – but not everyone’s convinced he’s getting it right.
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