Labour’s Reform-style rhetoric against migration simply won’t work
Labour is trying to counter the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform party by adopting a tough stance on migration.
But in doing so, it risks reinforcing Reform’s anti-immigrant agenda rather than diminishing its appeal.
Recent Home Office actions include a surge in immigration raids, with a record 828 business inspections last month, resulting in 509 arrests – a 73% rise compared to the previous year.
Since last year’s election, more than 16,400 failed asylum seekers, irregular migrants, and foreign criminals have been deported, though over half left voluntarily.
To bolster its tough-on-migration image, the government is releasing footage of deportations and running Reform-style adverts boasting about removal figures.
These measures attempt to neutralise the electoral threat of the right-wing party by mirroring its rhetoric.
But this approach ignores a crucial point: migrants – particularly legal migrants – are indispensable to Britain.
While Labour tries to appear tough, it fails to champion the immense value migrants bring to the country.
▪ The reality of migration in the UK
The numbers tell a clear story.
As of early 2024, foreign-born workers accounted for approximately 21% of the UK’s employed population – around 6.8 million individuals.
By contrast, estimates place the unauthorised migrant population between 594,000 and 745,000 – a fraction of the total workforce.
Diane Abbott, veteran Labour MP and former Shadow Home Secretary, has warned against Labour’s current approach:
“Trying to present ourselves as Reform-lite is a big mistake. All you do is give legitimacy to their agenda and encourage people to vote for the real thing.”
▪ Migrants are a boon, not a burden
Without migrants, vital industries – including the NHS – would struggle to function.
Britain simply has more jobs than Britons to fill them.
Currently, over six million foreign-born workers’ pay taxes, spend money in the UK, and contribute significantly to public finances.
Migrants also help to address the UK’s chronic skills shortage.
From doctors and nurses to builders and scientists, many essential roles remain unfilled by the domestic workforce.
Moreover, migrants arrive in Britain as a net gain – their education and training have been funded elsewhere, saving the UK billions.
▪ The real risk: fuelling xenophobia
Of course, illegal migration needs addressing.
But failing to promote the positive case for migration fuels a broader anti-immigrant sentiment, giving Reform’s narrative more traction.
By adopting Reform’s rhetoric rather than countering it, Labour risks pushing voters towards the very party it seeks to defeat.
Labour must rethink its strategy.
A party that aspires to govern should lead the conversation – not chase Reform’s talking points.
Migrants strengthen Britain, and it’s time Labour started saying so.
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