Keir Starmer says he 'deeply regrets' his 'island of strangers' warning about risks of uncontrolled immigration
Keir Starmer has admitted he 'deeply regrets' his warning that uncontrolled immigration risks turning Britain into an 'island of strangers'.
The PM made the jibe in a speech last month, seen as marking a tough new approach to combat the political threat posed by Reform.
But Sir Keir said he realised the language 'wasn't right' after critics claimed it had echoes of Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech.
He pointed to the impact of an alleged arson attack on a property owned by his family, saying he and wife Lady Victoria had been 'really shaken up'.
The premier gave the speech on May 12, hours after the blaze.
In it, he warned Britain risked becoming 'an island of strangers' without tougher immigration controls – rhetoric that sparked an immediate backlash and was denounced by critics, including within Labour ranks, as divisive.
At the time, Downing Street backed the remarks and said Sir Keir 'completely rejects' suggestions he had echoed Powell's infamous 'rivers of blood' speech - which was blamed for inflaming racial tensions in the 1960s.
Polling also suggested that most Brits did not have a problem with his use of the phrase.
But in an interview for the Observer, 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.'
He added: 'It's fair to say I wasn't in the best state to make a big speech… I was really, really worried. I almost said: 'I won't do the bloody press conference.'
'Vic was really shaken up as, in truth, was I. It was just a case of reading the words out and getting through it somehow… so I could get back to them.'
Critics drew parallels between the phrase and a passage from Powell's 1968 speech in which he claimed white Britons were at risk of becoming 'strangers in their own country'.
The Prime Minister stressed he was not seeking to use the alleged arson attack as an excuse and does not blame his advisers, saying he should have read through the speech properly and 'held it up to the light a bit more'.
He also backed down on language in his foreword to the policy document linked to the speech, which said record high numbers of migrants entering the UK under the last government had done 'incalculable damage'.
Sir Keir insisted the issue needed addressing because the party 'became too distant from working-class people on things like immigration', but said 'this wasn't the way to do it in this current environment'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
Avon Fire Authority chair resigns over 'unwanted' behaviour
The chair of the Avon Fire Authority has resigned after accusations of inappropriate behaviour against two members of staff. Ben Nutland is still sitting as a South Gloucestershire councillor but is now serving as an independent after being suspended by the Liberal allegations centre on an event after a conference dinner at Bristol's Hilton Hotel in November 2024, during which it is claimed he followed a fire service employee to her hotel room. Mr Nutland suggested his drink may have been spiked, but no evidence to support this claim was found by the panel investigating the complaint. The allegations against Mr Nutland only came to light following the publication of a report published by the the Avon Fire Authority's governance and oversight committee hearing earlier this month. Mr Nutland resigned in December after being notified of the complaint, the report states. The committee's report states that the allegations from both women relate to a party following a dinner at the Asian Fire Service Association conference, during which he allegedly called one woman - referred to only as "employee one" - "stunning". 'Very uncomfortable' He is claimed to have asked the woman if she wanted to "go upstairs" with him, before following her back to her room and going inside and taking off his jacket and shoes and getting on to her bed. The panel investigating the complaint heard that the woman had asked him to leave, which he did with no physical contact, but had described his behaviour as "unwanted" and making her "very uncomfortable". The second employee to make a complaint claimed that Mr Nutland had twice attempted to get her to dance with him, despite clearly being told she did not want to. She felt harassed to the point she did not want to return to her car alone that night, a panel heard. Mr Nutland, the report said, claimed not to recall behaving in this manner but had said he "did encourage others to join the dancing". The report noted that Mr Nutland had made a "full" and "heartfelt" apology for his actions and had suggested his drink had been spiked. The fire authority panel found that Mr Nutland had breached the code of conduct on three counts in relation to the complaint made by employee one, and on once count in relation to employee two. A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said they had been formally notified of a breach of the fire authority's code of conduct. As Mr Nutland was appointed to his role by the council, the spokesperson continued, it was now being considered how the matter should be handled under the councillor code of conduct.
-in-Nice-oc42fqvv.jpeg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D800%26crop%3D1200%3A800&w=3840&q=100)
The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
French President Emmanuel Macron labels tariffs as 'blackmail'
French President Emmanuel Macron has strongly criticised the use of tariffs by powerful nations, describing them as a form of "blackmail" rather than a tool for rebalancing international trade. His remarks, delivered on Monday at the International Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, come as the European Union navigates sensitive trade negotiations with the United States ahead of a July 9 deadline. While he did not specifically name the United States or U.S. President Donald Trump, Mr Macron's comments were made in the context of ongoing global trade tensions. "We need to restore freedom and equity to international trade, much more than barriers and tariffs, which are devised by the strongest, and which are often used as instruments of blackmail, not at all as instruments of rebalancing," he stated. The French leader also called for a re-evaluation and strengthening of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to align its objectives with global efforts to combat inequality and climate change. He condemned the current climate of trade disputes, adding: "Bringing back a trade war and tariffs at this moment in the life of the planet is an aberration, especially when I see the tariffs that are being imposed on countries that are just beginning their economic takeoff." Mr Macron's remarks follow the imposition of sweeping global tariffs by Donald Trump in April, which initially ranged from 10 to 50 per cent on imports into the United States, though these were later mostly lowered for a 90-day period. The United Nations trade agency had previously warned that such tariffs could have a "catastrophic impact" on developing countries, with some of the world's least developed nations, including Lesotho, Cambodia, Laos, Madagascar, and Myanmar, facing some of the highest levies. A vocal critic of Washington's tariff campaign, Mr Macron has also previously argued that it is an "aberration" to demand increased European defence spending while simultaneously engaging in a trade war.
Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Tim Davie must consider his position
The BBC says it should never have broadcast the vile rants of Bob Vylan at Glastonbury and should have cut the live stream when he started chanting 'death to the IDF'. So how did it happen? It has emerged that BBC director-general Tim Davie was himself at Glastonbury on Saturday afternoon and whilst ruling that the performance should not subsequently be available on demand, did not pull the livestream from iPlayer. Where were the protocols to ensure anti-Semitic political propaganda was not sent out unexpurgated on the airwaves, courtesy of the long-suffering licence-fee payer? And if such rules existed why were they not enforced by Mr Davie? The incident could not have come as a surprise. Glastonbury attracts all sorts of preening, self-absorbed nonentities who think they have a monopoly of moral and political rectitude. Surely someone at the BBC must have done their due diligence and suspected that an act like Bob Vylan, which revels in controversy, would land them in it. They knew of the risk because an on-screen warning was issued about the 'very strong and discriminatory language'. At the very least, BBC executives should have insisted upon a delay allowing editors to switch coverage to another act in the event of a nauseating stunt of the sort we witnessed on Saturday. The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told MPs she wanted to know why this act was broadcast live by the BBC and the feed was not cut. 'I want explanations,' she said. Now that we know that Mr Davie was intimately involved in this disastrous episode he must consider his own position.
