Labour wading into immigration debate shows party getting ready to take power, writes political editor Paul Francis
14:04, 18 September 2023
updated: 14:20, 04 October 2023
If you want evidence that Labour is getting ready to take power, you could look at the polls.
Or you could look at the confidence the party has when it comes to talking about migration, which traditionally has been a subject it has skirted around for fear it might isolate voters.
Last week, Sir Keir Starmer said people-smuggling should be treated “on a par” with terrorism, as he promised new measures aimed at preventing small boat crossings if Labour wins the next general election.
The Labour leader is clearly not afraid of wading into the constant debate about migration and asylum seekers.
There is a more nuanced tone to his comments about negotiating a better trade deal with the EU, possibly because he is wary that this could be interpreted as a back-door way to rejoining the EU, which is dangerous territory - arguably for both sides.
Meanwhile, politics is often as much about what is not said as what is, but Liz Truss – former Prime Minister, albeit for a brief 44 days - tried to rehabilitate her reputation as a formidable political figure by pressing the repeat button and making a ‘serious’ speech.
Ms Truss used a speech at the Institute for Government think tank today to justify decisions made during her spell in Number 10, calling it unfair to say she had pursued unfunded tax cuts.
A few things might be said at this juncture, the most important being it did rather sound like it was on a tape loop forever reciting her programme for government.
It was as if she needed to lull everyone to sleep to clear their mind of any trace of Trussphobia before clapping her hands and everyone had undergone the necessary re-wiring to render them as Truss-evangelists.
Or maybe that’s a little too far.
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