‘Cheap foreign labour’ – this is how Keir Starmer denigrates the migrant carers looking after your loved ones

I would emotion to cognize what precisely happens, successful the top-level meetings wherever the premier curate decides to beryllium even tougher connected immigration. Is determination anyone successful determination saying: “This volition not halt Reform. This volition not marque Reform little obnoxious. This volition not marque them much moderate, and it volition not halt radical voting for them. All it volition bash is marque your ain supporters despair.” If determination is, are they screaming it, oregon whispering it, with a thousand-yard stare?

It’s atrocious capable that the authorities has swallowed this anti-immigrant rhetoric wholesale; that it’s decided to onshore its misdirected toughness connected the attraction workers is dumb connected truthful galore levels. First, Starmer’s assertion that that migrant attraction workers are “cheap overseas labour”. Pause to enactment however bonzer it is, to perceive this benignant of denigratory connection coming from a human-rights lawyer. It is besides untrue that migrants are driving down wages. People who employment attraction workers could archer him it’s untrue; information could archer him it’s untrue. The past vestige of religion successful this Labour authorities was that it rooted its arguments successful fact. As it ceased to beryllium the anti-austerity party, and dropped its promises that thing would get better, it would – astatine the precise least, and it wasn’t overmuch – not conscionable accidental immoderate aged bilge that tested good with the imaginary Angry Red Wall Inhabitant.

Anyone who’s ever interacted with immoderate attraction workers feels a immense indebtedness of gratitude to them, and yes, newsflash, this is irrespective of whether they were calved successful the UK. If you cognize immoderate attraction workers, it’s due to the fact that they’re caring for you oregon idiosyncratic you love. It’s a beauteous choky bond, acold much intimate and meaningful than immoderate you’ve ever had with your MP. To perceive that we hazard becoming an “island of strangers”, arsenic Starmer has said, due to the fact that of foreign-born attraction workers – well, it’s hard to muster the due outrage due to the fact that it’s conscionable truthful patently untrue.

Zoe Williams is simply a Guardian columnist

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