Sir Keir Starmer has promised to drastically reduce Britain’s net migration figures by 2029. A white paper outlines measures such as increasing English language requirements for visa holders and their dependents, extending eligibility for settled status from five to ten years, and scrapping the social care visa altogether. The message is clear: Britain has had enough of mass immigration.

It would be compelling if the PM hadn’t spent the last decade opposing any serious attempt to control immigration. He voted against measures to restrict illegal entry, labelled Tory legislation racist, and helped kill the Rwanda deportation scheme. Now, with Reform UK on the rise and Red Wall seats at risk, he is reinventing himself as Britain’s unlikely border czar. The rebrand is a little too fresh to swallow.

The Prime Minister claims he wants to stop Britain becoming an “island of strangers”. That’s quite the pivot from the man who, in 2021, voted against voter ID and the removal of asylum seekers to safe third countries. This is the same man whose party once claimed that suggesting immigration would lower wages was xenophobic.

Let’s also not forget Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs” behind small boat crossings. How’s that going? So far this year, over 11,500 people have crossed the Channel – a 25% increase on the same period last year. Since the election, nearly 35,000 people have arrived via small boat. The gangs, it seems, are doing just fine.

Labour’s credibility on this issue is already thin. Starmer spent years enabling the system he now pretends to oppose. He fought to keep people here who had no legal right to remain, and now wants us to believe he suddenly understands the crisis. If that’s true, I’ve got a dodo in my garden.

Naturally, the usual objections have come out in full force. Accusations of dog-whistling. Claims that Labour is “demonising immigrants”. A dramatic clutching of pearls over the phrase “island of strangers,” as if 1.5 million new arrivals in two years is just a charming cultural exchange. Let’s take some of these criticisms head-on.

“Brits in Spain don’t speak Spanish.” Right. But Brits in Benidorm don’t demand Spain rewrite its laws, riot over cartoons, or ask for translators at public meetings. They’re not overwhelming public services or waving Union Jacks in Alicante town halls.

“Immigrants built this country.” No, they didn’t. Britain’s infrastructure, institutions, and national character were forged by the native population over centuries. Yes, many immigrants made valuable contributions. But let’s not rewrite history to suit modern narratives or political fashion.

“They come here and pay tax.” A minority do. But just one in seven visa-holding immigrants come here to work. And unless they’re earning over £41,000 (or £50,000 with dependents), they are a net drain on the public purse. That’s not prejudice – it’s basic maths.

And then there’s the cultural question – the one you’re not supposed to ask. Immigration isn’t just about numbers; it’s about values. You could, in theory, admit 100,000 entrepreneurs each year who create ten jobs apiece. But in reality, we’re importing people who, in too many cases, reject the principles we hold dear: freedom of speech, women’s rights, and tolerance.

Look at the grooming gang scandals. Look at recent terror arrests involving Iranian nationals. Or the fact an organisation that reveres Qasem Soleimani is running a summer camp for British children. And yet suggesting there might be cultural tensions involved still gets you branded a bigot.

The British state is now so paralysed by fear of offence that it sides with perpetrators over victims. Instead of confronting the cultural challenges, it tiptoes around them.

This is what happens when a class of activists, consultants and quango darlings replaces common sense with luxury beliefs. They’re insulated from the realities of mass immigration. Their schools aren’t overcrowded. Their streets don’t change overnight. Their idea of cultural enrichment is a yoga retreat in Bali or stroking a sedated elephant in Thailand.

Meanwhile, the working class is expected to carry the burden and stay silent. The people running this country haven’t just abandoned them – they sneer at them for noticing.

Labour’s plan includes forcing employers to train local workers rather than rely on foreign labour. A noble idea – except training investment has dropped by 26% since 2011, and under-19 apprenticeships are down 41% since 2015. If Labour wants to rebuild British skills, it’ll need more than PDFs and press releases.

Immigration is one of the defining issues of our time. But for too long, it’s been reduced to slogans, denial, and shrieking accusations of racism. If Starmer’s serious, he has four years to prove it. But judging by his record, I wouldn’t hold your breath.