Starmer ‘completely rejects’ suggestion he echoed Enoch Powell in immigration speech, No 10 says – UK politics live
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/may/13/keir-starmer-island-strangers-immigration-latest-uk-politics-live-news?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
by Half_A_
31 comments
Well yeah, it’s obvious to those than can read more than a few words. Enoch’s speech wasconjuring images of race wars, killings and so on. He wanted to destroy diversity, similar to the policies of Britain First.
Keir Starmer is trying to put better systems in place to ensure our society integrates more effectively.
The comments on that Guardian article are illuminating of how deluded some of ‘the left’ is over this issue.
It really feels like they’re shouting into the void though because beyond the terminally online liberal opinions I’m reading in those comments – I’ve literally not met one person on the street arguing for anything but severely reduced migration at this point.
Emily Maitlis had an interesting take: ” “Maybe you have to ask yourself if you had to have a hardline immigration system from any party would it be the party that traditionally veers towards compassion but is hardening up or the party like Reform that traditionally veers towards a lack of compassion and probably incompetence when they actually get into power?”.
Starmer’s key problem is he expects to be judged by what he does and says, while the UK press insists on judging him by what they can make up to sell papers.
Enoch Powell conjured up imagery of race wars and ethnic cleansing due to mass immigration. There is a reason his infamous speech is called the “Rivers of Blood”. It’s near nigh political suicide to be associated with E.P in any real regard.
The left in its current form is very slowly becoming obsolete
Whine about “weirdo lefties” all you want – this cabinet probably has the worst communication of any in my lifetime. Whether the policy they’re enacting is good or bad, you can guarantee they’ll present it in the way that puts them in the worst possible light.
The left are complaining about a suggestion to reduce migration to 250,000 a year. Dear Lord this country needs help.
> Now, in a diverse nation like ours, **and I celebrate that**, these rules become even more important. Without them, we **risk** becoming an island of strangers, not **a nation that walks forward together**.
Starmer is literally **celebrating** our diversity and wants to protect it from the crisis the Tories caused!
The Tories cause the problem. Leave the EU, don’t process asylum seekers, raise net migration from ~200k before 2019 to ~800k…
Then, they sell the solution, the continued isolation of the UK by leaving the ECHR so they can keep eroding our rights. [Rights that Labour are improving, btw.](https://www.lewissilkin.com/insights/2025/04/08/whats-in-the-employment-rights-bill-1)
Starmer’s point is that if people don’t have faith in the current immigration system, all that does is foster resentment for immigrants, which feeds nasty parties like Reform.
Powell was anti-immigration and was referring only to the damage it does. Starmer was talking about ensuring migrants are integrated to ensure social cohesion – a much more positive message.
People complain about immigration but then lose their minds when the PM actually tries to do something about immigration. You just can’t win can you?
An embarrassment for all involved, particularly Philip Collins.
Starmer:
‘Britain being at risk of turning into an “island of strangers”’
Enoch Powell:
‘Britons feel as if they had “found themselves made strangers in their own country”’
Collins needs to go, if he can’t do basic research and fired if he did it on purpose, in some pathetic attempt to appease Reform.
The Guardian comments are like he put on a little toothbrush moustache and did an Elon.
Racists and xenophobes are never deterred by shouting what they are at them. You need to present some kind of alternate vision that other people get and that speech was at least that. “Immigration is of benefit but can get out of control” I mean, yeah, probably.
Was it a great vision? It was alright but it was at least something. What it wasn’t was “send zem all to zee camps” as the headlines would have us believe.
Maybe echoing Powell is too far, but let’s be honest, that ‘Island of strangers’ line was unnecessary and deliberately inflammatory. Feels more like something Farage or Badenoch would say.
This isn’t ‘silently getting on with reducing immigration’ like I see so many people say he’s trying to do, this is trying to court the right wing vote through an appeal to emotion, and I highly doubt this is the limit of how far he’ll go.
The reaction from the Left to his very reasonable speech which echoes the thoughts held by the silent majority in this country, show them to be very hate-filled, and frankly, delusional.
Mass immigration has become an ideological pillar of the Left. They will support it even if it harms our country and society. Scary.
Enoch Powell was close to winning the election, I seem to remember
Reminder that Enoch Powell was more than twice as popular than even our most popular politician (Farage)
Perhaps Starmer realises how representing the desires of the nation you are in charge of is actually a popular strategy… Or he’s doing extreme damage control because he saw how bad he is doing in the polls
It’s really difficult isn’t it? Any attempt to restrict access by undocumented migrants is viewed as fascist by a significant number of people. There is no willingness or ability to view the issue in a business like manner. Is it the case that our country must just open its borders wide and let anyone in who makes the effort to get on a rubber raft? Do we then build them a house, feed them. clothe them and give them pocket money?
Makes a small step in the right direction they jump on him as a racist smh
The Guardian seem extra desperate lately. The rhetoric that outlets like this have spewed for decades is falling apart now that the supposed left wing party is going against it.
I’m a lefty but the comparison is bullshit. There is a big difference between acknowledging the rate of demographic change is too high and that employers are exploiting foreign workers to push down wages and leaving skill gaps, is very different to the great replacement theory. It just further demonstrates that we can have reasonable debate anymore. Everything is black or white, you’re either all for or all against. You can believe there are benefits from immigration while acknowledging their are problems if it happens on too large a scale too quickly.
Powell was absolutely correct with his analysis back in 1968. It’s almost prophetic. The fact this is up for debate shows the sorry state of political debate in this country.
A commentator on the radio this morning just bulldozed through a question about this saying “look, *factually*, it echoes the rivers of blood speech so…”
BBC host didn’t say “hold on, justify that. Factually? How so?”.
It was infuriating.
And it’s utter utter bollocks. I haven’t seen one reason given why it “echoes” Enoch Powell in any way. Whatsoever. “Rivers of blood” is alarming, apocalyptic, violent imagery. “Island of strangers” is just not, whatever way you look at it.
This is just another example of “someone said it echoes the rivers of blood speech. Does it? Let’s get competing opinions on that in the interest of impartiality.” No, hold on, *who* said that? And let’s ask then to justify why it does before we take it as a given and ask for anybody else’s opinion.
Sensationalist nonsense.
One side says he’s literally Hitler, and the other says he’s not gone anywhere near far enough. Another day in UK politics
Enoch’s speech was incredibly popular at the time he was only disgraced by the disgraceful Ted heath.
The horse has bolted the demographic change is permanent but to to slow migration to stop the country becoming a experiment on what makes a country its people or its money can only be appreciated.
Media literacy is completely fucking dead. I’m very left wing and I’m in my 20. To me, it’s pretty easy to tell he meant an island of strangers to each other. Not that we are being taken over by strangers complete sense, if we want unity and diversity then we can’t be living in the same society and continue to be worlds apart, there must be communication, participation and trust.
The lack of research about this speech by the government can be debated. Surely one of them must have been versed in the Powell speech, and would have vetoed this particularly. But I believe this is very much an attempted media assassination.
Zarah Sultana shared a post comparing his speech to Enoch Powell. How can you spread such a dangerous rhetoric when you have a position in parliament? It’s irresponsible.
This is such a nothingburger he didnt say anything false and Im an immigrant, the media fucking suuuuuck holy
It was was claimed he “used the same language” well kind of but Enoch the better public speaker and writer, despite subject matters and views.
the dude is f whatever. who’d want that role anymore. really ask yourself that question.
The left have completely lost the plot on immigration. Just a few years ago almost everyone would have agreed the levels we have today would be absurd. Now you’re Enoch Powell if you might (only might) reduce it back to the previously unprecedented level introduced by Tony Blair.
Somehow managed to be hated by both the left and the right in a manner of months, quite impressive really
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