A risky reset Starmer faces opposition over shift on immigration policy

"We must never accept the Tory or media narrative that often scapegoats and demonises migrants," Keir Starmer wrote in 2020. "Problems of low pay, housing and public services are not caused by migrants - they are caused by a failed economic model.

- Pippa Crerar

Much has changed since Starmer was running to be leader of the Labour party - not least, that as prime minister he now has a broader electorate to keep on side.

His aides argue he has long made the case for tougher rules on immigration, but the rise of Reform UK, and Nigel Farage's success among voters disillusioned with the political mainstream, has added a new political imperative.

Announcing his immigration policies on Monday, Starmer warned the UK risked becoming an "island of strangers" without a tougher approach, and said the government would "take back control of our borders" and end a "squalid chapter" of rising inward migration.

For those who believe he has already pitched too far to the right in response to the rise in support for Reform UK, his rhetoric on immigration will bite.

Sarah Owen, the Labour MP for Luton North who is on the soft left of the party, said the best way to avoid the UK becoming an "island of strangers" was to invest in communities so that they thrived.

"I've said it before and will say it again: chasing the tail of the right risks taking our country down a very dark path," she warned, urging the government not to risk pitting people against each other.