Overview

• Backbench MP Diane Abbott called Starmer’s “island of strangers” comment “fundamentally racist” during Saturday’s People’s Assembly anti-austerity march in central London.
• Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined Abbott at the rally, warning the remark evoked Enoch Powell’s 1968 “Rivers of Blood” speech.
• The People’s Assembly protest drew thousands of trade unionists and activists opposing the government’s spending cuts and welfare reforms targeting low-income households.
• Abbott accused Starmer of borrowing Reform UK rhetoric to boost Labour’s poll ratings, a claim echoed by Nigel Farage who said the prime minister was “learning a great deal” from his party.
• Official figures show the net inflow of people into Britain halved between 2023 and 2024, a drop both Labour and Conservatives attribute to their respective border policies.