“The first essential part in doing that [challenging the populist Right] is in recognising where some on the Left went wrong on the issue of immigration,” Sir Keir wrote in the Telegraph piece, external.
“There is no doubt that for years, Left-wing parties, including my own, did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration. It has been too easy for people to enter the country, work in the shadow economy and remain illegally.”
Ahead of his speech, Sir Keir wrote that Labour “must make and win the case for patriotic national renewal, based on enduring British values”, calling on “fair-minded Britons” to reject Reform’s “toxic” solution.
His piece also detailed the perils of “poisonous” online debate, and warned of a “coming struggle, a defining struggle, a violent struggle” for the nation.
Addressing the wave of protests that took place outside UK asylum hotels over the summer, the prime minister said his party would “reject the quick-fix solutions from those who want to divide” and instead focus on “restoring power to local communities”.
The government announced a £5bn funding boost for 339 “overlooked” communities on Thursday, with specific spending to be determined by those who “know their communities best”.
The announcement is part of Labour’s strategy to tackle the electoral threat posed to them by the rising popularity of Reform UK, and will include the £1.5bn pledged to 75 of the “most deprived” areas in the UK earlier this year.