Labour MPs and trade unionists accuse party of 'performative cruelty' on migration
Around 1,000 Labour members and trade unionists have condemned the leadership’s “anti-migrant politics” after the government released footage of deportations and moved to ban those arriving irregularly from becoming British citizens.
The joint statement, which was coordinated by the Labour Campaign for Free Movement and signed by a number of MPs, including Nadia Whittome, Diane Abbott, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Clive Lewis, accused the government of copying “the performative cruelty of failed Tory governments”.
It took aim at the government’s decision to amend its “good character” guidance in order to bar people who arrive in the UK via “a dangerous journey” from ever becoming British citizens.
It also cited the Home Office’s broadcasting of footage of people boarding a deportation flight.
“These measures mimic the performative cruelty of the failed Tory governments rejected by voters last July. They also breach Britain’s international obligations to respect the right to claim asylum and guarantee safe routes,” the statement read.
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'Echoing rhetoric'
It also warned that by imitating the rhetoric of the right-wing Reform party, the government is turbocharging the rise of the group rather than limiting its influence.
“Anti-migrant politics will not build a single house, staff a single hospital or raise anyone’s wages. Instead, by echoing its rhetoric, the government is simply fuelling the rise of Reform UK,” it said.
The statement also comes after the Home Office launched a series of Facebook adverts with Reform-style branding, vaunting the number of migrant removals conducted since Labour came to power.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government was working to close a loophole in the Ukraine Family Scheme which allowed a Palestinian family the right to live in the UK.
“The Tories left the UK with an immigration system that was the envy of the far right across Europe. So far, Labour has ditched the Rwanda scheme but retained the rest," Michael Chessum, a campaigner from the Labour Campaign for Free Movement, said.
"This performative cruelty will be an electoral disaster - all the leadership is doing is giving the appearance of a consensus behind Reform’s main narratives. If you want to know where that road leads, just look at [German Chancellor] Olaf Scholz".
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