I wrote to my current (and former who I know) Labour MP's urging the party not to appease the far-right by abandoning immigrant and trans rights.

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If you are a British voter and agree, I strongly urge you to do the same. Members of parliament do read correspondence from constituents and it does influence them.

 

You can find the contact info for your MP here. Both email and traditional mail are effective. If you are a constituent, 

 

If you are unsure what to write, I include here the full text of my original letter and (below) a generic version the omits specific details that provides an easy template. Please feel free to copy and use all or part of this.

Note that this letter assumes a Labour MP, for others, you may want to remove the reference to the party at the end.   

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Original Letter [Toby 2/5/2025] FULL TEXT


 

Toby Buckle

[personal details redacted]

 

Sir Alan Campbell

Suite 1:11
North Tyneside Business Centre
54a Saville Street
North Shields
NE30 1NT

 

Chris Murray

190 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1EX

 

 

Dear Sir Alan and Mr Murray,

 

I am writing to you jointly as my current and former members of parliament. I am a lifetime Labour voter and supporter. Indeed, on my British side I can count 4 generations who have never voted for anyone other than Labour and never would. I have also been an occasional volunteer with the party in elections (Alan – I still remember clearly being at the count with you in the 2010 election, when we were all braced to lose the seat, but ended up increasing your majority).

 

I say all that to say I care deeply about the Labour party, and do not criticise it lightly. I also care deeply about the rights of those fleeing wars abroad and vulnerable minorities at home. I was shocked to hear in Kier Starmer’s speech of 28 November 2024 that he accepted the far-right premise that high levels of immigration where the primary problem facing the country. The Prime Minister is correct to say that the Tories did not reduce immigration by their target amount, but this is the wrong metric. The measure of a country’s success is if it is healthy, happy, and prosperous, not if an arbitrary number of people cross a border.

 

In chasing the latter, we have abandoned the former. The last decade has seen successive UK governments weaken our economy, reduce our international trade, destroy our standing in the world, and mangle our constitution all to chase anti-immigrant sentiment. And the far-right are still not satisfied. They will never be satisfied.

 

Nor will they in their ugly, illiberal, and frankly hysterical campaign to drive trans and gender non-conforming people from public life. We live in an age where fascism is reasserting itself globally and this is a core part of their propaganda. Capitulating on their demand that trans people be unable safely use a toilet in public – which it appears the Government is gearing up to do – is both horrific on its own terms and a colossal strategic blunder. This, to them, is not an isolated issue but the first city to burn in their broader war against liberal freedoms, democracy, and a diverse society.

 

I understand that all politics involves compromise. I have no desire, for instance, to return the party to the Corbyn era. But the Labour Party should stand firm on core liberal rights and freedoms. To do otherwise is to betray our history and ideals. Nor do I think it will work as a re-election strategy. Once we accept the fascist premise that the country is being polluted by those different to us, and their framing that elections are about who can be harshest to them, can we really be surprised that voters will accept their conclusion?

 

What is happening in America and elsewhere is coming here. Our country must once again prepare to face a global fascist threat. As the heirs to Clement Atlee, we can do better than appeasement.

 

Thank you for your consideration,

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

 

 

Toby Buckle

toby@politicalphilosophypodcast.com

 

 

 

P.S – In order to encourage others to do the same, I may publish this letter on my social media (see -bsky.app/profile/polphilpod.bsky.social ). I welcome any response and am happy to discuss this further.

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Generic version - COPY/PASTE & FILL IN THE BLANKS


 

[Your name]

[Your address]

[Date]

[Your contact details]

 

[MP's Name]

[MP's Address]

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Dear [MP's name],

 

[Personalised introduction (optional) - who you are and why you are writing]

 

I care deeply about the rights of those fleeing wars abroad and vulnerable minorities at home. I was shocked to hear in Kier Starmer’s speech of 28 November 2024 that he accepted the far-right premise that high levels of immigration where the primary problem facing the country. The Prime Minister is correct to say that the Tories did not reduce immigration by their target amount, but this is the wrong metric. The measure of a country’s success is if it is healthy, happy, and prosperous, not if an arbitrary number of people cross a border.

 

In chasing the latter, we have abandoned the former. The last decade has seen successive UK governments weaken our economy, reduce our international trade, destroy our standing in the world, and mangle our constitution all to chase anti-immigrant sentiment. And the far-right are still not satisfied. They will never be satisfied.

 

Nor will they in their ugly, illiberal, and frankly hysterical campaign to drive trans and gender non-conforming people from public life. We live in an age where fascism is reasserting itself globally and this is a core part of their propaganda. Capitulating on their demand that trans people be unable safely use a toilet in public – which it appears the Government is gearing up to do – is both horrific on its own terms and a colossal strategic blunder. This, to them, is not an isolated issue but the first city to burn in their broader war against liberal freedoms, democracy, and a diverse society.

 

I understand that all politics involves compromise. But the Labour Party should stand firm on core liberal rights and freedoms. To do otherwise is to betray our history and ideals. Nor do I think it will work as a re-election strategy. Once we accept the fascist premise that the country is being polluted by those different to us, and their framing that elections are about who can be harshest to them, can we really be surprised that voters will accept their conclusion?

 

What is happening in America and elsewhere is coming here. Our country must once again prepare to face a global fascist threat. As the heirs to Clement Atlee, the Labour Party can do better than appeasement.

 

Thank you for your consideration,

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Your name]

 

 

 

P.S – In order to encourage others to do the same, I may publish this letter on my social media. I welcome any response and am happy to discuss this further.