BORDER FORCE

Vow to end reliance on cheap foreign labour | But PM blasted over his 'shameful' language

- DAVE BURKE

KEIR Starmer yesterday vowed to bring down immigration with measures aimed at ending our reliance on cheap foreign labour.

But the PM's bold bid to tackle the problem caused by what he called the Tory's "open border" policy was overshadowed by some of the language he used.

His drive to reduce immigration also included axing social care visas, which infuriated staff in a struggling sector that last year had 131,000 vacancies, amid fears it could collapse.

Mr Starmer said on immigration: "We risk becoming an island of strangers." He praised immigrants who "make a massive contribution" but said: "When people come to our country, they should commit to integration, to learning our language." Mr Starmer claimed a reliance on low-paid labour from overseas is "contributing to the forces that are pulling our country apart".