Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed regret over using the phrase “an island of strangers” in a speech addressing immigration.
The Prime Minister faced criticism following the May speech, where he outlined plans to reduce immigration, with some accusing him of employing divisive rhetoric.
Some Members of Parliament drew parallels between Sir Keir’s remarks and a controversial speech delivered by former MP Enoch Powell on immigration in 1968.
Downing Street initially defended the Prime Minister’s comments, rejecting the comparisons.
However, the remarks have now reportedly sparked anger among some of Sir Keir’s allies, who have described them as “weak” and “outrageous.”
In an interview with his biographer, Tom Baldwin, Sir Keir stated: “I wouldn’t have used those words if I had known they were, or even would be interpreted as an echo of Powell.”
“I had no idea – and my speechwriters didn’t know either.”
“But that particular phrase – no – it wasn’t right. I’ll give you the honest truth: I deeply regret using it.”
The interview was published in the Observer newspaper ahead of Sir Keir’s one-year anniversary since assuming the role of Prime Minister next week.
Sir Keir’s statement suggests that neither he nor his speechwriters were conscious of the potential allusions to Powell’s 1968 address.
In that speech, Powell envisioned a future where Britons “found themselves made strangers in their own country.”
It is widely referred to as the “Rivers of Blood” speech due to Powell’s reference to “the River Tiber foaming with much blood,” when outlining his concerns regarding immigration.
The Observer interview, in which he disavows not only the speech but also a significant portion of his first year’s political strategy, has reportedly elicited strong reactions from Sir Keir’s supporters.
Those allied with the Prime Minister have reportedly used terms such as “outrageous,” “weak,” and “totally lacking in moral fibre” to describe the situation.
Particular frustration stems from the perception that he is undermining his closest advisors.
A senior government source indicated their anger, stating they were too upset to comment.
In the Observer interview, Sir Keir revealed that he delivered the immigration speech shortly after an alleged arson attack on his family home in London.
“It’s fair to say I wasn’t in the best state to make a big speech,” Sir Keir stated. “I was really, really worried.”
He added that his wife, Victoria, was “really shaken up,” and “it was just a case of reading the words out and getting through it somehow.”
The Observer article quotes Sir Keir as acknowledging that he should have reviewed the speech more thoroughly and “held it up to the light a bit more.”
In response to the interview, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stated that the PM’s admission of regret was “absolute proof that Keir Starmer has no beliefs, no principles and just reads from a script.”
“This country needs a leader who has vision,” Farage posted.
The comparison to Powell was initially made by John McDonnell, who lost the Labour whip last year after rebelling on a welfare vote.
Speaking in Parliament in May, the independent MP said: “When legislation of this nature is being introduced that is serious and could be contentious, it’s critically important that ministers use careful language.”
“When the prime minister referred to… an island of strangers, reflecting the language of Enoch Powell, does she realise how shockingly divisive that could be?”
During the same debate, Labour MP Nadia Whittome argued that immigrants were being “scapegoated for problems that they didn’t cause” and that “the rhetoric surrounding this” risked inciting racial abuse.
The MP inquired: “Why are we trying to ape Reform, when that will do nothing to improve our constituents’ lives and just stoke more division?”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper subsequently defended the language employed by Sir Keir.
Cooper asserted that Starmer’s speech was “completely different” to Powell’s, stating to the BBC: “I don’t think it’s right to make those comparisons.”
“The prime minster said yesterday, I think almost in the same breath, talked about the diverse country that we are and that being part of our strength.”
“I know that everybody always gets caught up in focusing on different phrases and so on, but we do have to be talking about the policies.”
The launch of the government’s immigration plan in May followed local elections in England earlier this month that saw Labour lose the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary seat to Reform UK.
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