Try GOLD - Free
Refugee groups urge Starmer to dial down anti-migrant rhetoric
The Guardian
|April 08, 2025
Refugee and human rights groups have called on Keir Starmer to avoid language that demonises migrants.
The criticisms are contained in a letter coordinated by Together With Refugees, a campaign coalition of more than 600 organisations.
It was sent in response to comments the prime minister made before the Organised Immigration Crime Summit in London on 31 March. He had said: "We all pay the price for insecure borders - from the cost of accommodating migrants to the strain on our public services. It is a basic question of fairness."
The open letter to Starmer says: "Now is not the time to play into the hands of those seeking to build them-and-us division between local communities and refugees. It is the time to move away from the hostile politics, racist rhetoric and demonising language of the past and unite our communities for a different way forward."
This story is from the April 08, 2025 edition of The Guardian.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 10,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Guardian
The Guardian
Use of 'phoenixism' by recruitment firms costing exchequer millions in lost taxes
Insolvent recruitment businesses shorn of their debts then reacquired from administration by the directors or shareholders who presided over their demise are costing the exchequer tens of millions of pounds in lost taxes, a Guardian analysis suggests.
2 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Caracas faces crackdown as rulers use militias to stifle notions of power vacuum
Venezuela’s rulers have deployed armed militias to patrol streets, operate checkpoints and check people’s phones in a crackdown to consolidate authority after the US attack on Caracas.
3 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
European leaders declare support for Greenland after US threatens to seize control
European leaders was made in response to renewed US demands to seize control of the self-governing territory in the aftermath of the capture of Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro by the US military.
3 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Teenager's family wrongly told he died in car crash after police mistake
The family of a teenager who was badly injured in a car crash were told he had died after a mistake in identifying him and another victim, police said yesterday.
1 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Snow, wind and more disruption on the way as Storm Goretti hits
The UK is braced for further disruption as heavy snow and strong winds are expected to hit swathes of England and Wales tomorrow with the arrival of Storm Goretti.
2 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Artists rail against plan to dismantle leading Antwerp art museum
Prominent artists have spoken out against an “arbitrary reshaping” of Belgium’s museum landscape, as the Flanders region seeks to cut public spending by dismantling the country’s oldest contemporary art museum and transplanting its entire collection to another city.
2 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Drink-drivers face tougher rules under new road safety strategy
Tougher rules on drink-driving, eye tests for older motorists and automatic emergency braking in new vehicles will be mandated by the government in an attempt to cut road casualties.
2 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Spot-on Gibbs-White damages West Ham survival hopes
West Ham
3 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
City lose Dias but close in on Semenyo deal
Manchester City will be without Rúben Dias for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury, exacerbating a defensive injury crisis and leading Pep Guardiola to admit City may enter the transfer market.
2 mins
January 07, 2026
The Guardian
Fake AI videos of Spain's crown princess used in 'TikTok scam'
A foundation representing Princess Leonor, the 20-year-old heir to the Spanish throne, has said scammers are using Al-generated videos of the princess posted on fake profile pages to cheat social media users out of money.
1 min
January 07, 2026
Listen
Translate
Change font size