Starmer says he regrets using 'island of strangers' phrase
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he regrets saying the UK risked becoming "an island of strangers" in a speech about immigration.The prime minister was accused by some critics of using divisive language when he made a speech to announce plans to cut immigration in May.Some MPs compared Sir Keir's remarks to those made by former MP Enoch Powell in a well-known speech about immigration in 1968.At the time, Downing Street rejected the comparison and said the PM stood by his words and his view that "migration needs to be controlled".
But in an interview with his biographer, Tom Baldwin, Sir Keir said: "I wouldn't have used those words if I had known they were, or even would be interpreted as an echo of Powell."I had no idea – and my speechwriters didn't know either."But that particular phrase – no – it wasn't right. I'll give you the honest truth: I deeply regret using it."The interview was published in the Observer newspaper ahead of Sir Keir's one-year anniversary since becoming prime minister next week.Sir Keir's comments suggest neither he nor his speechwriters were aware of any similarity to a line in Powell's 1968 speech.In that speech, Powell described a future in which Britons "found themselves made strangers in their own country".It is widely known as the Rivers of Blood speech because of Powell's reference to "the River Tiber foaming with much blood", when setting out his fears about immigration.
In the Observer interview, Sir Keir said he made the speech on immigration not long after an alleged arson attack on his family home in London."It's fair to say I wasn't in the best state to make a big speech," Sir Keir said. "I was really, really worried."He said his wife Victoria was "really shaken up", adding "it was just a case of reading the words out and getting through it somehow".The Observer article quotes Sir Keir as saying he should have read through the speech properly and "held it up to the light a bit more".Responding to the interview, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the PM's admission of regret at using the phrase was "absolute proof that Keir Starmer has no beliefs, no principles and just reads from a script"."This country needs a leader who has vision," Farage posted.
The comparison to Powell was made by John McDonnell, who lost the Labour whip last year after rebelling on a welfare vote.Speaking in Parliament in May, the independent MP said: "When legislation of this nature is being introduced that is serious and could be contentious, it's critically important that ministers use careful language."When the prime minister referred to... an island of strangers, reflecting the language of Enoch Powell, does she realise how shockingly divisive that could be?"In the same debate, Labour MP Nadia Whittome said immigrants were being "scapegoated for problems that they didn't cause" and that "the rhetoric surrounding this" risked stirring racial abuse.The MP asked: "Why are we trying to ape Reform, when that will do nothing to improve our constituents' lives and just stoke more division?"Home Secretary Yvette Cooper later defended the language used by Sir Keir.Cooper said Starmer's speech was "completely different" to Powell's, telling the BBC: "I don't think it's right to make those comparisons."The prime minster said yesterday, I think almost in the same breath, talked about the diverse country that we are and that being part of our strength."I know that everybody always gets caught up in focusing on different phrases and so on, but we do have to be talking about the policies."The launch of the government's immigration plan in May followed local elections in England earlier this month that saw Labour lose the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary seat to Reform UK.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
36 minutes ago
- Sky News
Starmer warned over fears of 'toothless' Hillsborough Law replacement
Why you can trust Sky News More than 130 MPs have urged Sir Keir Starmer to deliver the Hillsborough Law as promised - amid claims it is being watered-down with a "toothless" replacement. Ian Byrne, the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby, has written to the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, over concerns that officials have "carved out" key elements of the long-awaited legislation. The Hillsborough Law is intended to prevent future state cover-ups by putting a legal duty of candour on public servants to tell the truth, with criminal sanctions for lying. It also includes a commitment to funding so families receive proportional legal representation in battles with official bodies. The bill had its first reading in 2017 when it was introduced by Andy Burnham and supported by Steve Rotheram who were MPs at the time. In his letter, Mr Byrne said a draft government version of the law, shown to the now Great Manchester and Liverpool City Region mayors respectively and one of the campaign's lawyers in March, did not contain the key provisions. In particular, he said it did not contain a duty of candour, only an "aspirational objective". He said there was also "no reference at all" to the rebalancing of resources for legal representation for families at inquests and inquiries. As Sky News reported at the time, the government paused the process to listen to these concerns, meaning it missed its own deadline to implement the law by the most recent anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April. However campaigners have not been shown the latest draft and say meetings with ministers and officials have indicated the Hillsborough Law is still to be replaced with weaker legislation. 'Legally nothing left' In particular, there are concerns the obligation to be truthful would be applied only to some investigations and could even be reduced to a professional duty dealt with by codes or staff handbooks rather than a criminal backstop. A government spokesperson said they are "fully committed" to a legal duty of candour with criminal sanctions for those who don't comply. However Elkan Abrahamson, one of the lawyers who drafted the original Hillsborough Law, told Sky News: "It's easy to talk about commitment but until we see something in writing... we don't know what that means." He said that under the government's proposals there would "legally be nothing left" of the original bill, adding: "My message to them is rip up your draft, go back to ours and tell us what the problem is and we will sort it with you." The government declined to say what its concerns are with the Hillsborough Law when asked by Sky News. It has said it wants to bring the legislation in "at pace" but "having consulted with campaign groups, we know more time is needed to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law". 1:36 At the Labour Party conference in Liverpool in 2022 when he was still in opposition, Sir Keir said that "one of his first" acts as prime minister if he won the election would be "to put the Hillsborough Law on the statute book". The Times has reported officials have concerns that the Hillsborough Law could punish junior civil servants who turn up late for work and lie about it. But in his letter, signed by 136 cross-party MPs and 29 peers, Mr Byrne said "that is manifestly not correct". He added: "We have no doubt that the attempts to replace the bill with wholly deficient and ineffective redrafts are led by those who are most likely to be affected by the Hillsborough Law: senior civil servants and public institutions who want to retain their impunity in protecting their reputations above telling the truth." 'Toothless replacement' He called on the prime minister to "show leadership and strength" in implementing the Hillsborough Law in full "and not some toothless replacement". "We urge you not to pass up this opportunity to achieve generational culture change, and a step change in the integrity of public life." The campaign for the Hillsborough Law follows a decades-long fight for justice for the 97 football fans who were unlawfully killed after gross negligence by police at an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield in 1989. Shortly before kick-off, supporters were let through a gate, which caused crowding in the stand and a crush. Nobody has ever been convicted for its subsequent cover-up.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Tax hikes Reeves could impose after the £3bn benefits U-turn
Households are on alert for further potential tax hikes in autumn after Keir Starmer handed major concessions to rebels in a bid to salvage flagship legislation on health and disability benefits. On Friday, the government confirmed a U-turn on its cuts to disability benefits in order to avert a rebellion by more than 120 Labour backbenchers. The reversal leaves a £3billion hole in Chancellor Rachel Reeves ' financial plans, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Meanwhile, the Resolution Foundation warned that tax rises may be needed for her to now meet her fiscal rules. The initial benefit reforms would have saved the government £5.5billion by the end of the Parliament. The planned cut to personal independence payments eligibility was set to raise the bulk of this saving, £4.5billion. However, according to the IFS, the revised package of reforms will save only £2.5billion, so will cost the government £3billion relative to their previous plans. Under the change in tack, people who currently receive personal independence payments (PIP), or the health element of universal credit, will continue to do so. Instead, planned cuts will now only hit future claimants. Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: 'We have listened to people, we are in a good place now'. Most economists and think tanks think tax rises in the Autumn Budget 2025 are now inevitable. Tom Waters, an associate director at IFS, said: 'These changes more than halve the saving of the package of reforms as a whole, making the Chancellor's already difficult Budget balancing act that much harder. 'The decision is to protect existing health-related benefit claimants from the reforms, thereby making the savings entirely from new claimants to these benefits. 'This will create big differences – thousands of pounds a year, for many years in some cases – between similar people with similar health conditions who happen to have applied at a slightly different time.' Samuel Mather-Holgate, an independent financial adviser at Mather and Murray Financial told Newspage: 'With Starmer doing more U-turns than someone doing the bleep test, taxes are going up. 'There's no way that other departments can mitigate these changes to their budget.' Which taxes could be increased? Reeves has ruled out taxes on the working people, including income tax , National Insurance for employees, VAT and corporation tax. Other taxes will be in her sights. Capital gains tax Higher capital gains tax could be one option for Reeves. Capital gains tax is levied on profits from assets ranging from shares to second homes, buy-to-let properties and personal possessions. The rates for stocks and shares gains were hiked in the 2024 Autumn Budget to 18 per cent for basic rate taxpayers and to 24 per cent for those paying higher rates of tax. The profits from assets like sharers tend to come from people taking a risk, whether an entrepreneurial one or an investment one, making capital gains tax a likely target for hikes. Inheritance tax Reeves could have inheritance tax in her sights again It is a growing money-spinner for the government, with the number of households falling in scope for it rising. In the 2024 Autumn Budget, Reeves capped the availability of Business Relief and Agricultural Relief, and halved the relief available on Alternative Investment Market shares. Reeves also unveiled plans to bring pensions into the scope of inheritance tax from 2027. Further tweaks and amendments could happen. Pensions Pensions are a major source of wealth for many people, making them a prime target for Reeves. Last year, while Reeves dragged unused pension assets into the inheritance tax net from April 2027, she did not go as far as some experts feared. That is not to say that she will not meddle with pensions later this year. HMRC recently announced a consultation on salary sacrifice - when people forgo a pay rise or bonus and add to their pension instead, which helps avoid higher marginal tax rates. It has prompted speculation that Reeves could introduce a cap on the amount of salary sacrifice people can use. There is also speculation about the reintroduction of the pensions lifetime allowance. The Chancellor could also look at reforming income tax relief on pension contributions. Tax thresholds freeze The freeze on certain tax thresholds since 2021 has created a huge stealth tax raid in recent years. The frozen basic rate threshold, currently £12,570, drags more people into paying income tax and means that the real value - adjusted for inflation - of the tax-free allowance has been diminished. Stalling the higher rate threshold at £50,270 has shifted more people and a greater slice of earnings into the 40 per cent bracket. John Woolfitt, a director at Atlantic Capital Markets, told Newspage: 'A "stealth tax" manoeuvre will be high on the cards. 'Income tax allowance and the higher-rate threshold currently rise with inflation . Freezing or delaying future increases effectively raises income tax, without officially having to announce a hike.' He added: 'Targeting high earners and wealth transfers could also be seen and a populist move as the government tries to sure up support from the broader electorate.' According to the Resolution Foundation, extending the freeze in personal tax threshold by one year will save £4billion a year, 'though further consolidation is likely to be needed in the Budget this Autumn.' Property Businesses Higher employer national insurance contributions are already hammering businesses across Britain. However, under growing pressure to boost the Treasury's coffers, Reeves could set her signs on corporation taxes, VAT exemptions or other duties. 'This would really impact the already fragile business confidence in the UK', Woolfitt said. Wealth tax Some campaigners believe Reeves should impose a wealth tax to boost the tax-take and quash inequality. Tax Justice UK is calling on more taxes for the super-rich to be introduced by the current Government. It wants to see a 2 per cent wealth tax on assets over £10million, which it says will raise up to £24 billion a year. It also wants to apply national insurance to investment income, close inheritance tax and non-dom loopholes, and introduce a 4 per cent tax on share buybacks. It remains unclear whether a wealth tax is on Reeves' agenda and how it would work in practice. An unprecedented 16,500 wealthy Britons are predicted to leave this year amid higher taxes and a gloomy economic outlook.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
‘They'd win if it was tomorrow': on the streets of Reform's London
Few people have their finger on the pulse of London politics like Tony Travers, the London School of Economics policy professor, whose crystal ball is unusually sharp in the capital. 'If there was a general election tomorrow, Reform would win [the seat] by a country mile.' He is talking about Hornchurch and Upminster, a parliamentary constituency within the London Borough of Havering that has for decades been a Conservative stronghold. Its demographics are mirrored around the suburban, outer ring of the capital. On the high streets across Havering the signs of change are everywhere. Shuttered shops, overstretched services and a council wrestling with a £74 million budget shortfall have left many residents disillusioned. For them, the promises of mainstream politics ring hollow — and more and more are looking elsewhere for answers. Enter Reform UK. Local memberships have soared, according to two of the party's East London representatives, to almost 3,000 in the last year. With one Reform member already in the London Assembly, support in the capital is growing. • Reform UK would be largest party if general election held today Debbie Darvey had worked all her life before she suffered two strokes. Now she worries about being able to heat her home in winter. The 67-year-old has never lived anywhere but Harold Hill, near Romford. Of her area she says simply: 'It's like all your childhood memories are slowly disappearing. 'Because they're knocking this down, they're knocking that down, building new things. And it's in a way quite sad.' She has no problems with the current council administration, which is led by the Havering Residents Association ('they're polite and they're putting solar panels on my roof'), but she will be voting Reform in both the next local and general elections. 'I'm not sure what they do but then I think they can't do no worse than what Labour's doing.' Nationally the Conservatives have fallen to fourth place in the polls — behind Reform, the Lib Dems and Labour. Another poll, by Find Out Now in May, found Reform were now ahead of the Tories in the capital too. • A year after landslide, poll makes grim reading for Keir Starmer 'This new London polling is strong for Reform and it's before we even get going,' Nigel Farage said. Last July, Julia Lopez, Hornchurch and Upminster's Conservative MP, had her majority slashed from 23,308 to just under 2,000, with Reform taking second place. The nearby constituencies of Barking, Dagenham and Rainham and Erith and Thamesmead also saw Reform become the second party. The area's political history offers a glimpse into the current mood. In the early 2000s the neighbouring borough of Barking and Dagenham saw a surge of support for the British National Party (BNP), which won 12 council seats. While the BNP's influence quickly collapsed, the sentiment it tapped into — frustration with national politics and concerns about immigration — has lingered in the area. 'Many of my constituents have roots in the East End or Essex, and this seat reflects the character of both,' Lopez said. 'They are deeply patriotic, aspirational and hard-working — people who put family and country before all else.' Gary Mitzi, 60, was a lifelong Conservative voter until he voted Reform UK at the general election and is the personification of the demographic the upstart party is on the road to capturing. 'There's too many lies, people have just had enough now,' Mitzi said. 'I've had enough. 'When I walk around the corner and I hear people talking in their own language I go, 'Are you going to talk English or what, mate?' 'They don't speak English and we are living in England. I want to be out of this country, I don't want to live here. I'll put up with it for another eight years, then I'm moving to Malta.' The borough's population grew by 10.5% between 2011 and 2021, reaching approximately 262,100, outpacing both London (7.7%) and England (6.6%), driven by families moving out of inner-city areas in search of more affordable housing. In April a petition was launched to secure a £35 million investment for Queen's Hospital after the trust saw 'record-breaking' numbers of patients in March. While Havering remains one of the safest boroughs in London, residents also raised concerns about an increase in antisocial behaviour. Does Mitzi think Reform can fix it? 'No,' he said. 'No one's going to do it. But we need change.' The local branch of Reform UK is optimistic about its prospects in Havering's next local elections, held in May of next year. 'We're not parodying national politics,' said Philip Hyde, the chairman of the East London Reform UK branch and a former UKIP councillor — he was dismissed from the party following a 'dispute' with its Havering leader. 'People want to know what's going to affect their lives directly here. 'People are writing to us saying, 'What do I need to do to get involved in politics? They feel that for their children and grandchildren they have to take an interest.' • Reform UK: People like to back winners so we'll do well in Scotland Nick Palmer, Reform UK's candidate for Hornchurch and Upminster who beat Labour last July, said even 'school kids want to get involved'. While it remains to be seen how councils like Kent, Durham and Doncaster will perform — some of the ten councils Reform took control of in May — critics argue that the party's rhetoric far outweighs its capacity to deliver. It certainly faces significant challenges in translating its hopes into actionable policies. Ray Morgon, leader of Havering council since 2022 and head of the HRA, is sceptical of the party's promises. 'Reform are making promises of things they will do as a council which they don't have the power to do,' he says. 'They're playing to what people want to hear. But the reality of running the council is very, very different.' Despite this, the rise of Farage's party in places like Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and Bexley — where Reform got 22 per cent of the vote last July — shows they are 'becoming the main opposition to Labour in many outer London boroughs', according to Travers. Reform could also find success in the London borough council elections in Bromley, bordering Kent, and Sutton, where the majority of voters backed Leave in the referendum. 'Reform's focus is clear,' Travers said. 'They'll target areas with a high Leave vote and where traditional party loyalties are breaking down.'
