Deeply regret ‘Island of Strangers’ remark: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer

Weeks after his remark that the U.K. was at risk of becoming an “island of strangers”, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed regret using those words. Mr. Starmer had used the words in a May 12 speech prior to the government releasing a white paper, which outlined its intention to significantly restrict migration to the U.K. His remarks were published on a day when Mr. Starmer’s government announced a U-turn on planned cuts to benefits, after more than 100 MPs from his own Labour Party had rebelled, putting the government’s welfare bill in jeopardy.

Mr. Starmer was criticised by the left for the speech, with many drawing similarities to the 1968 “rivers of blood” speech by former U.K. Tory minister Enoch Powell, who had said the high rates of migration from Commonwealth countries would render the native population “strangers in their own country”.

In his immigration speech, Mr. Starmer said, “Now, in a diverse nation like ours, and I celebrate that, these [ immigration] rules become even more important. Without them, we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”

Referring to those words, in an interview with the Observer published on Friday, Mr. Starmer said,

“I wouldn’t have used those words if I had known they were, or even would be interpreted as an echo of Powell.” The Prime Minister said that neither he nor his speech writers realised the words resembled Mr Powell’s.

“But that particular phrase – no – it wasn’t right. I’ll give you the honest truth: I deeply regret using it.”

The Prime Minister’s speech came weeks after the nativist Reform U.K. party made significant gains in the local elections in early May, rattling Labour, which had won a landslide victory in last year’s general election.