Poll expert warns Starmer over focus on immigration

The UK's leading polling expert has warned Labour not to make the same “mistake” as the Conservatives and focus too heavily on immigration.

- KATE DEVLIN WHITEHALL EDITOR

Professor Sir John Curtice cautioned against focusing too much on an issue over which ministers did not have complete control until the world becomes a safer place.

It came as Rachel Reeves defended Sir Keir Starmer’s attack on Reform UK’s plans to remove indefinite leave to remain for non-EU migrants already living in Britain as “racist”.

Sir John told an event at the Labour conference that the party must not “repeat the Tories’ mistake, where you focus on an issue where you don’t have total control”, and that improving the economy and the NHS was more likely to return voters to the party.

And in a bleak message to the party faithful, he also warned there was not an “obvious” glimmer of hope for Labour to turn things around.

Focusing solely on Reform UK would also be a mistake for Labour as the party is losing “much more support” to the Liberal Democrats and Greens, he said.