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Dear Keir*
The Observer
|May 18, 2025
Grown-up advice from everyone's favourite centrist
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Hullo, all. Busy times in No 10. Last week I unveiled a catchy new slogan: “serious pragmatism defeats performative politics”.
I said this after agreeing a trade deal with Donald Trump, whose serious, pragmatic approach won him two terms as US president.
Performative politics were nowhere to be seen last Monday, when I delivered a major immigration speech, flanked by the biggest union jacks we could find. Back in 2020, I urged Labour to make a positive case for immigration and warned against scapegoating migrants. Nowadays my vibe is more Children of Men. “Squalid chapter”, “open borders,” “incalculable harm”, etc.
Did the speech have detractors? Of course. I've been called a Nigel Farage tribute act, “Fascist Eeyore” and “Der Keir Stürmer”. But going after Reform’s base is tactically smart. In electoral politics, you should appeal to voters who think you were Jimmy Savile’s wingman.
Alienating everybody else is a small price to pay. I reject the claim that my “island of strangers” line was reminiscent of Enoch Powell. Though I'm glad we cut the phrase “tributaries of gore”.
OK, let’s turn to the week's emails, which I hope are decent British emails from decent British people.
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