At the start of February, Labour launched a series of ads using Reform’s bright blue colouring and has set up a Facebook group called Protect Britain’s Communities. Labour is using immigration as a tool to create headline-grabbing rhetoric, aimed at easy electoral gains.
Labour is scoring a massive own-goal.
Yet these adverts are not doing Labour favours. Like Sunak’s 'Stop the Boats Campaign’, Labour’s turn towards harsher immigration rhetoric only serves to legitimise it and those that truly believe it, namely Reform. Labour is scoring a massive own-goal.
Diane Abbott questions Labour’s immigration policy, telling the Guardian that Labour is performing like ‘Reform-lite’ which serves only to ‘give legitimacy to their agenda and encourage people to vote for the real thing’. Fuelling fears over migration and misleading information, Labour risks pushing voters towards the very thing they are trying to avoid.
Critiques of mass immigration has become normalised not just in Britain, but globally.
When a Labour PM is spewing rhetoric which was once seen as right-wing, it is clear that the Overton window has lurched decisively to the right. Critiques of mass immigration has become normalised not just in Britain, but globally.
A party that is in government should lead – on policy, on the political narrative and on the course of Britain. A party that has promised ‘change’ should deliver evidence-based, decisive solutions. Following, and intensifying, a fear-mongering rhetoric is not working for the government, and it certainly is not working for the country.