No 10 defends Starmer’s language on immigration likened to Enoch Powell speech

Downing Street has robustly defended Keir Starmer’s connection connected immigration, which has been likened to that utilized by Enoch Powell, rejecting the nonstop examination but saying the premier curate would not “shy away” from nonstop speech astir the subject.

A bid of MPs criticised Starmer for his rhetoric erstwhile introducing a caller policy insubstantial connected immigration connected Monday, peculiarly his informing that the UK risked becoming “an land of strangers”, a near-direct echo of connection utilized by Powell successful his infamous 1968 “rivers of blood” speech.

Asked astir the contention connected Tuesday, Sadiq Khan, the Labour politician of London, said helium would not person utilized the phrase, portion defending Starmer’s broader approach.

Alf Dubs, the Labour adjacent who arrived successful the UK arsenic a kid exile fleeing the Nazis, besides expressed alarm.

“I’m unhappy that we person elder politicians who usage connection which is reminiscent of Powell, and I’m atrocious that Keir Starmer utilized immoderate of the phrases that you’ve conscionable quoted,” Dubs told LBC. “It’s not the benignant of idiosyncratic helium is, and I don’t deliberation it’s what helium really believes in.”

Asked astir Starmer’s words successful the Senedd, the Welsh Labour leader, Eluned Morgan, said: “I’m not going to usage divisive connection erstwhile it comes to immigration, that’s not the worth we person successful Welsh Labour.”

A Downing Street root pushed backmost against the MPs’ disapproval of Starmer’s speech, successful which helium besides argued that the Conservatives’ attack to migration had done “incalculable” harm to the country.

“Tough words and pugnacious argumentation are required to lick pugnacious problems,” they said. “The Tories near migration to tally wholly retired of control, with 1 cardinal radical coming present successful a azygous year. The electorate privation america to get a grip of it. We will, and we won’t apologise for doing so.”

Speaking to LBC, Khan said: “The benignant of connection I usage is antithetic to the connection utilized by others. That’s not the benignant of words I would use.”

He added that helium thought Starmer was referring to “promises made by Brexiteers” and caller precocious levels of migration, and not “that publication we marque to this multicultural superior metropolis and country”.

On Monday, respective Labour MPs expressed interest astatine Starmer’s words, with Sarah Owen, the seat of the women and equalities committee, saying: “Chasing the process of the close risks taking our state down a precise acheronian path.”

Zarah Sultana, who was elected arsenic a Labour MP but present sits arsenic an independent, said Starmer had enactment lives astatine hazard by echoing Powell’s language, calling this “a disgrace”.

Starmer’s authoritative spokesperson said it was incorrect to comparison the premier minister’s informing astir “an land of strangers” to Powell’s 1968 remarks that Britons were being “made strangers successful their ain country”, pointing to however Starmer had besides hailed the benefits of migration.

“We wholly cull that comparison,” helium said. “You heard the PM accidental successful his code yesterday that migrants marque a monolithic publication to the country. It is some close and just to accidental that migrants person made a monolithic publication to our nine for generations.

“But it is besides close to accidental that, peculiarly successful the 5 years betwixt 2019 and 2024, seeing migration levels quadruple, the erstwhile authorities mislaid power of the system.

“We’re not going to shy distant from this issue, due to the fact that the British nationalist rightly expect the authorities to get power of migration successful a mode that the erstwhile authorities mislaid power of immigration.”

He added: “The PM has been precise clear, Britain is an inclusive country. We person welcomed immigrants for generations, but the level of migration implicit the past fewer years has been excessively high, and migration indispensable travel down.”

Asked if Starmer stood by the words “island of strangers”, the spokesperson replied “yes”, adding: “The premier curate was utilizing his ain words to rightly some recognise the publication migrants person made implicit generations and to marque the constituent that uncontrolled migration has been excessively high.”

He condemned Powell, saying that the PM “rejects, successful its entirety, erstwhile speeches made by that individual”.

Speaking earlier connected Tuesday, the location secretary, Yvette Cooper, said Starmer’s words were “completely different” to those utilized by Powell.

“I don’t deliberation it’s close to marque those comparisons, I deliberation it’s wholly different,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “The premier curate said yesterday, I deliberation astir successful the aforesaid breath, helium talked astir the divers state that we are, and that being portion of our strength.

“Everybody ever gets caught up successful focusing connected antithetic phrases … if you look astatine what the premier curate said yesterday, helium talked astir radical who came aft the warfare to enactment successful the UK, to physique immoderate of our services, and however important that was. But helium besides talked astir however migration has to beryllium decently controlled and managed, and it hasn’t been. I really deliberation it’s OK to person some those views.”