“Starmer’s pivot not only reinforced harmful myths, but also positioned migrants as scapegoats for wider systemic failures like low wages, housing shortages & public service cuts.”
By Sabby Dhalu, Stand up to Racism Co-Convenor
Keir Starmer’s “Island of Strangers” speech announcing the new immigration White Paper was a calculated shift to the right on racism, and designed to ape Reform UK’s anti-migrant rhetoric. One possible impact of Starmer’s speech and the electoral rise of Reform UK is an emboldened fascist street movement, which was given a boost this week by the early release of Tommy Robinson. These movements almost always lead to racist violence. Racism by politicians often leads to racism on the streets.
The immigration White Paper outlined a number of problematic proposals, including its announcement that recruiting international staff for the care-home sector will end within months. Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea highlighted that the “care sector would have collapsed without overseas workers.” Camille Leavold, Abbotts Care Chief Executive, warned that there is no immediate alternative to maintain staffing, hospitals will soon face bed blockages because they cannot safely discharge patients and “by the end of summer, it will be horrendous.”
However Starmer’s tone and rhetoric were even more striking than some of the catastrophic proposals outlined. It echoed Enoch Powell’s “rivers of blood” speech in 1968, in which he warned of a future where white people “found themselves made strangers in their own country”. By framing migration as a risk that could turn Britain into an island of strangers Starmer invoked the idea of a cultural threat and national decline. He used inflammatory language such as “shutting down the lab” on the “one nation experiment on open borders” and “close the book on a squalid chapter for our politics, our economy and our country.”
The speech mirrored Nigel Farage’s narrative of migrants flooding the country unchecked, draining resources, and diluting national identity. Starmer’s pivot not only reinforced harmful myths, but also positioned migrants as scapegoats for wider systemic failures like low wages, housing shortages and public service cuts. The rhetoric cast migrants as burdens to be managed rather than people with lives, families and rights.
Policies in the White Paper don’t challenge exploitation or improve conditions – they simply restrict entry and feed a nationalist logic that sees migration as a threat to be contained. In doing so, Labour isn’t reclaiming control – it’s surrendering to a right-wing vision of Britain that devalues diversity, erodes solidarity and panders to scapegoating migrants.
Far from stemming the electoral rise of Reform UK, the impact of Starmer’s speech has been the opposite. Three opinion polls conducted since last week’s speech show Reform UK pulling ahead and Labour sliding further down. The You Gov, More in Common and Techne UK polls on Westminster voting intention showed Reform UK on 29-30% and Labour on 22%. These polls reflect the golden rule of politics: who sets the agenda wins.
Conceding to Reform UK on immigration is wrong. It’s also a bad electoral strategy for Labour. A recent You Gov Poll found that removing the winter fuel allowance, not reducing cost of living, not improving public services, breaking too many promises and not standing up to the rich and powerful were the key reasons why people did not vote Labour in the local elections. Labour must address and take action on these issues that ranked higher than concerns regarding immigration. The recent u-turn on the Winter Fuel Allowance is welcome, but so far it is not clear who would be affected and if the changes would be in place this winter.
Persuasion UK recommended a similar approach and found that Labour should shift onto “more populist conflict on economic left-right issues” and gave the example of “proposing a tax on the richest to fund the NHS or schools.” Such an approach could unite both Reform curious and Green curious Labour voters.
The same survey also showed that the overwhelming majority of 2024 Labour voters are more likely to vote Green or Lib Dem than Reform UK. Only 11% were Reform curious, compared to 29% Green curious and 41% Lib Dem curious. Similarly a Find Out Now poll found the threat of drifting progressive voters was significant. Among Labour 2024 voters, 43% said they would be likely to consider voting Green and 40% Lib Dems. Just 9% said they could consider voting Reform.
In Scotland Labour needs to win over SNP voters and Plaid Cymru voters in Wales. It also needs African, Asian and Caribbean voters, but Starmer’s speech risked alienating these voters. Labour lost five seats in the last general election in constituencies with higher Muslim populations. Wes Streeting was left with a majority of just 528 in Ilford North Jess Phillips a majority of 693 in Birmingham Yardley. Labour lost the Runcorn by-election by only 6 votes. It needs every vote it can get.
Support for progressive parties and independents along with Labour is a by a small margin greater than the combined vote for the Conservatives and Reform UK. The BBC’s predicted national share of the vote based on the 2025 local elections puts the combined Labour, Lib Dem and Green vote at 47% and Reform UK plus Tories at 45%. The numbers exist to defeat Reform UK. To win over progressive voters Labour must adopt a bold agenda of making people better off and challenging racism not conceding to it.
- Sabby Dhalu is Co-Convenor of Stand up to Racism (SUTR). You can follow her on Twitter/X, and SUTR on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
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