Starmer admits Labour shied away from immigration as he calls for border crackdown at London summit

Keir Starmer admitted Labour has shied away from tackling immigration, a candid admission as the party seeks to convince voters it will take tougher action on Britain’s borders. Speaking at the Global Progress Action Summit in London, the Labour leader said it has been too easy for people to enter the country, work in the shadow economy and stay illegally. He framed the admission as a necessary correction to Labour’s past approach and a pledge that his party will confront the issue head on.

Starmer outlined a package designed to curb illegal immigration while addressing workforce shortages, including a push for digital IDs that would prove a person’s right to work in the UK. He argued such tools are essential to tackle every aspect of the problem and warned that relying on migration to plug labor gaps is not compassionate left-wing politics.

Highlighting a broader political contrast, he said it is not compassionate to permit a labor market that exploits foreign workers and undercuts fair wages. He insisted that the simple fact is that every nation needs to have control over its borders and that progressives must choose between a politics of predatory grievance and patriotic renewal that aims to rebuild communities brick by brick, starting with those already living here.

Starmer also used the moment to condemn the online discourse fueling the immigration debate, describing an industrialised infrastructure of grievance that is created through devices and feeds a narrative of an existential national struggle. He noted protests near hotels housing asylum seekers over the summer, part of a campaign he said had amplified tensions around immigration. The summit was hosted by think tanks including the Centre for American Progress Action Fund, Labour Together and the Institute for Public Policy Research.

On policy specifics, the government has moved to roll out mandatory digital ID cards to crack down on those working illegally, a point Starmer tied to his broader argument that the nation must control its borders. He told attendees that progressive campaigns must examine their own positions and not shy away from concerns raised by ordinary voters.

With Labour polling pressures rising amid anger about Channel crossings, asylum hotels and the scale of legal arrivals, Starmer aimed to reframe his party as taking border control seriously without abandoning humanitarian commitments. His remarks were positioned as part of a broader effort to present an alternative approach to migration, workforce planning and social cohesion.

Observers noted the event’s coalition of sponsors signals Labour’s attempt to translate domestic immigration debates into a wider, international conversation about reform and governance. The summit’s organizers described it as a chance for progressive leaders to address economic anxieties and humanitarian responsibilities in parallel, a message analysts say could shape Labour’s approach in the months ahead.