Elections in Great Britain
Labour leader Starmer wants to limit migration
02.06.2024, 04:34
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In four weeks, the British will elect a new government. Prime Minister Sunak has been trying for months to score points with deportations to Rwanda and thus prevent his defeat. Now the Labour leader is following suit on the issue of migration.
One month before the general election in Great Britain, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, has for the first time addressed the important election issue of migration. “Listen carefully – I will reduce the number of immigrants,” said Starmer in an interview with the tabloid newspaper “The Sun”. According to current polls, the Labour leader can hope to become British Prime Minister in the general election.
According to the report, Starmer did not give a timetable or any specific details on how to reduce migration numbers. However, the paper quoted him as saying that passing laws to limit migration was a top priority. For example, employers who violate labour laws should be punished by a ban on employing foreign workers.
Migration policy is an important campaign issue ahead of the general election in Great Britain on July 4. According to a survey published on Saturday by the opinion research institute YouGov, 18 percent of Britons consider the issue to be the most important campaign issue.
Sunak relies on Rwanda
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his conservative government also want to limit immigration to Great Britain. At the end of April, the British Parliament approved a controversial government plan to deport migrants to Rwanda. It allows people who have entered the country irregularly to be deported to the East African country without their origin or asylum application being checked beforehand. Rwanda has been classified as a safe third country for this purpose.
Labour leader Starmer is taking a tougher stance on borders and migration than his social democratic predecessors. However, the Labour Party has declared that it wants to repeal the deportation law introduced by the Tories as a deterrent. In the newspaper interview, Starmer explained that if he wins the election, he will instead target the people-smuggling gangs that bring illegal migrants across the English Channel in small boats.