UK MPs slam prime minister on immigration pandering to far-right

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing backlash from members of parliament, including some within his own party, over his newly announced immigration policies, which represent a departure from his previous pro-immigration stance.

On Monday, Starmer unveiled plans to reduce legal immigration, vowing to "finally take back control" of Britain's borders. The Prime Minister warned that the UK risked becoming an "island of strangers", a statement that has stirred controversy among many MPs.

"Channelling Enoch Powell won't fix the care system. It won't solve the NHS crisis. It won't do anything - other than fuel hatred, racism, and fear," Independent MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told The New Arab.

"If [Starmer] wanted to make a difference to people's lives, he would reverse the catastrophic cuts to disability benefits, scrap the 2-child benefit cap and redistribute wealth so that everyone can live in comfort and dignity," Corbyn said.

"If the Prime Minister visited my constituency, he would see that we are no island of strangers. We are a community of neighbours and friends from all over the world, working together to make our society better," he added.

Corbyn wasn't alone in drawing comparisons between Starmer and Enoch Powell, the British politician known for his controversial "Rivers of Blood" speech, which criticised immigration and is widely considered to have fueled far-right and anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK.

Labour MP Zahrah Sultana also accused Starmer of echoing Powell's speech. "That speech fuelled decades of racism and division. Echoing it today is a disgrace. It adds to anti-migrant rhetoric that puts lives at risk. Shame on you, Keir Starmer," Sultana posted on X.

Within Starmer's own party, MPs voiced their disagreement. Clive Lewis MP told The Independent: "It’s simply not sustainable for the Prime Minister to echo the language of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech – invoking the idea of 'living in a land of strangers.' This kind of language doesn’t just alienate communities; it drives people away from our country altogether."

Labour MP Richard Burgon added: "Migrants didn’t cause the housing crisis. Migrants didn’t cause the NHS crisis. Migrants didn’t drive up poverty levels. Years of austerity did all that."

"If you want to improve people's lives, stop the cuts, introduce a Wealth Tax, and properly invest in our communities," Burgon wrote on X.

Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, condemned the government's increasing anti-migrant rhetoric.

"The step-up in anti-migrant rhetoric from the government is shameful and dangerous," she said. "Migrants are our neighbours, friends, and family. To suggest that Britain risks becoming 'an island of strangers' because of immigration mimics the scaremongering of the far right."

The Labour government's Immigration White Paper policy document includes plans to reduce the number of overseas care workers and extend the length of time people must live in the UK before qualifying for settlement and citizenship.

The new rules also require adult dependents to demonstrate a basic understanding of English, while the duration for students staying in the UK after their studies will be shortened.