An Open Letter to Keir Starmer

 

We, the undersigned, strongly advise against the proposed changes to the UK immigration system of May 12, 2025, and your associated rhetoric. We are UK-based academics, researchers and writers who study politics. Our concerns are twofold:

 

First, the proposed changes are bad policy. They will make the lives of those in the visa routes harder and more insecure. They will also harm British citizens, placing our care and higher education sectors under further strain. Hurting the most vulnerable is exactly the opposite of what Labour should stand for.

 

Second, the government positioning itself as ‘tough’ on immigration and asylum will not have the intended effect of sidelining the far-right. We believe that accepting their core premise – the main problem facing the country is immigrants – only validates them. Attempting to outbid them with deportations and visa denials will always fall short. They will not be satisfied with falling net migration numbers. They will never be satisfied.

 

The far-right is on the rise globally. What is needed in this moment is a clear articulation of why they are wrong, and an aggressive defence of core liberal democratic values.

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