Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has announced his intention to reduce immigration to levels seen during the UK's EU membership. This statement was made during
his visit to Bolton, a town known for its strong Brexit support.
Sir Keir's visit to the Greater Manchester town on June 4 was in preparation for the first TV leadership debate against Conservative leader Rishi Sunak, scheduled to take place at 9 pm in Salford’s MediaCity. Speaking to journalists at the Bridge Cafe in Bolton town centre, Starmer addressed the issue of immigration.
The discussion on immigration follows Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's commitment to implementing an annual cap on worker and family visas to ensure a yearly reduction in immigration figures. The proposed cap would not include temporary workers such as seasonal agricultural laborers.
“We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further,” said Sunak.
However, Sir Keir dismissed the Prime Minister's plans as unrealistic and ineffective. “Net migration is far too high, this Government has lost control. It’s more than twice as high as it was when we were in the EU, that’s the irony of it,” he remarked.
Starmer criticized Sunak’s approach, stating, “This Prime Minister is actually, for all his tough talk, the most liberal prime minister when it comes to immigration, those numbers have gone through the roof.”
Bolton, where 58.7 percent of voters supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum, saw significant political shifts in the 2019 election. Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, with its promise to 'Get Brexit Done,' secured two out of three parliamentary seats in the town.
As the political landscape continues to evolve, Starmer’s comments signal Labour’s stance on immigration, aiming to resonate with voters in Brexit-supporting regions like Bolton. The forthcoming leadership debate will provide further insights into how each party plans to address the pressing issues of immigration and national policy. Photo by Matthisvalerie, Wikimedia commons.