Black voters Fallout from migration speech 'risky' for Labour

Labour faces a watershed moment in its relationship with black and Asian voters, experts warn, as the fallout from Keir Starmer's immigration speech continues with a wave of condemnation from anti-racism campaigners.

- Chris Osuh Aamna Mohdin

The prime minister's claim that "uncontrolled" migration had done "incalculable" damage to British society has been labelled a betrayal by equalities groups. It comes after a series of stances that threaten to alienate Labour from minority ethnic and left-leaning voters - on Gaza, reparations for slavery, sentencing reform and foreign aid - as well as support for elderly and disabled people as well as children.

Insiders say Labour hopes to appeal to Reform UK voters while arguing that only Labour can stop Nigel Farage's party, thus stopping alienated left-leaning voters from shunning them. But the prime minister has been accused of echoing Enoch Powell - whose rhetoric alienated black and Asian voters from the Tories for decades - after he said the country risked becoming an "island of strangers" while launching the immigration white paper.

The speech is the latest episode of what the Black Equity Organisation - of which the foreign secretary, David Lammy, was a founding trustee - described as a pattern of "narratives and policy decisions" raising concerns that the "dignity, safety and rights" of minority communities were being undermined.

"The ongoing refusal to address historical injustices such as slavery reparations, the suspension of sentencing guidelines reform, which disproportionately affects black communities, the profound humanitarian crisis in Gaza - these are not isolated issues and reflect systemic failings," the equalities group said.