Keir Starmer’s Labour has taken off the velvet glove to reveal their iron fist, eager to project a hardline stance on immigration. The script is meticulously crafted: ramp up deportations, halt the small boats, safeguard the economy from the so-called ‘unsustainable’ influx. It’s a performance, a spectacle for the masses. Not Reform UK by name, but certainly in spirit. In a bid to outflank the far right, Labour parrots their rhetoric, sidestepping only the most blatant bigotry. This isn’t a departure from the Tories’ hostile environment; it’s its next evolution, draped in the garb of political pragmatism.
But beneath the clamor, Yvette Cooper’s tough talk isn’t about genuine immigration control. She’s not tackling the root causes of the discontent that Reform UK exploits. Her true aim? To woo or at least pacify Reform’s far-right supporters, to keep this shaky centrist coalition intact, all while assuring big business that Labour will keep the labour market primed for profit.
But if Labour is serious about tightening borders, where will the cheap labour come from? Capital must be fed—growth at all costs, profit above all else. Liz Kendall has the answer: force the “workshy” back into employment. No illness is too severe, no struggle too great—work is joy, and the labour market must be kept fed, whatever the human cost.
Nigel Farage and his ilk have tapped into a truth Labour won’t face: deindustrialisation and the erosion of stable, well-paying jobs have devastated the working class. Reform UK speaks to these fears, though they twist the narrative, blaming migrants instead of the capitalist machine. Farage’s allure for white working-class voters isn’t about policy; it’s about emotion—mourning the loss of jobs, community, and economic identity. He’s the Pied Piper of disillusionment, but shussh, don’t mention those immigrants to Dubai.
For decades, the post-Thatcher (including Blair) consensus has cast these people aside. Their Labour deemed expendable, wages squeezed, towns left to decay as capital chases higher returns elsewhere. The state offers little more than bureaucratic sticking plasters like Universal Credit and punitive sanctions. Reform UK provides a scapegoat in immigrants, a misplaced sense of pride, a rally against the ‘elites.’ Trumpism in flow.
Labour, on the other hand, offers nothing substantial. No reversal of privatisation, no real reinvestment in industry, no empowerment of trade unions. Instead, they stage-manage border crackdowns, hoping this political theatre will placate the masses without enacting real change. After all, Trumpism without Trump is just an ism. Starmer doesn’t deserve an ism.
By co-opting Farage’s script, Starmer sets himself up for failure. Those craving strict immigration policies will always opt for the genuine tougher article. It doesn’t matter how much the suits cost, flash Harry is the original knock off. They’ll choose brutal Faragism over a Starmer facsimile. Meanwhile, those seeking an (left) alternative in Labour will see a party that has deserted them. This isn’t strategy; it’s surrender. Reform UK thrives on the raw emotions of its base. It doesn’t need coherent policies; it needs to keep the anger alive. Labour, however, can’t bring itself to confront the real source of this unrest: the inherent workings of capitalism. It’s easier to promise crackdowns—complete with cinematic flair—than to promise genuine change.
But there’s another path. The working class, white or otherwise, has never benefited from tighter borders or scapegoating migrants. Wages are suppressed by corporate greed, not immigration. Public services are gutted by privatisation, not refugees. To break this cycle, Labour must reject the language of its adversaries, not refine it. It must do what Reform UK pretends to do: listen. And then, unlike Reform, it must act.
Leave a Reply