‘Deluded’ Starmer slammed for wild immigration claim – ‘an insult to the British public!’
Starmer claimed immigration was under control (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer has been blasted for claiming immigration was “under control” despite record small boat crossings and public services being pushed to breaking point. The claim was made at a late-night briefing for Labour MPs in Westminster, where the embattled Prime Minister – languishing as the least popular PM in history – attempted to rally his backbenchers.
He promised beleaguered MPs that 2026 will be the year Britons see “change and renewal”, claiming the country was moving “in the right direction”. Sir Keir crowed that “immigration is firmly under control” in a speech which drew cheers and applause from his MPs. But critics branded the claims “deluded” and an “insult to the British public”.
Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf said Britons could “see record immigration, ongoing small boat crossings, and public services pushed to breaking point”, blasting: “This is not control – it is chaos and deception.” He said: “Reform UK will take back control of Britain’s borders, deport every single person that has arrived in the UK illegally and restore justice.”
The scathing attack came after the Prime Minister arrived eight minutes early for the evening meeting with his MPs, telling the media: “I don’t like to be late!” He then attempted to rally them with an upbeat assessment of the Government’s record.
Sir Keir said: “Britain will see change and renewal this year. Our country is moving in the right direction. Waiting lists are falling. Wages are rising faster than prices. Inflation is now under control and coming down – six interest rate cuts, a huge difference for families and businesses.”
He added: “Crime is falling. Immigration is firmly under control. Public services are looking up – we’re turning the page on austerity. We’re investing in new infrastructure the length and breadth of the country.”
The Prime Minister also insisted: “Because of the decisions we’ve made in the budget, unlike any of our opponents, we have a plan to support people directly with the cost of living. Which we all know is the biggest issue in the lives of working people right now.”
But the claims sparked fury from opposition parties, who point to ongoing small boat crossings, overstretched public services and persistently high legal migration
More than 41,000 migrants arrived by small boat last year alone under Labour’s watch.
The Prime Minister’s late-night briefing comes amid mounting pressure on Labour over its handling of immigration, the cost of living crisis and crumbling public services.
Donald Trump doesn’t trust Keir Starmer – we now have biggest proof yet
Esther McVey says the Prime Minister is ‘just as unreliable abroad’ (Image: PA)
The Prime Minister’s ‘Keir today, gone tomorrow’ promises are making him just as unreliable and untrustworthy abroad as at home. Starmer’s latest domestic U-turn last week, the 12th in 18 months – over business rates for pubs – came after he felt the heat from backbenchers who had been banned from pubs.
His next U-turn may come as early as this week, over ending the automatic right to jury trials, after backbench Labour MP Karl Turner threatened a by-election – which Labour would almost certainly lose – if Starmer doesn’t reverse this policy. It makes you wonder how on earth he makes such stupid decisions in the first place – that anyone with even an ounce of common sense can see are idiotic.
For example who would take £1.4billion off 10 million of the UK’s poorest pensioners by scrapping the winter fuel allowance, only then to hand out £100billion more in benefits by the end of the decade – especially when the irresponsible lifting of the two child benefit cap only benefits a small number of British workers – the others are either not in work or not British.
But while we feel the pain of his lies and U-turns at home, his oscillating and broken promises translate to someone who cannot be relied upon by world leaders. Venezuela is a case in point. Trump didn’t trust telling Starmer about the removal of Maduzo. The US is our closest ally – especially when it comes to military operations – but obviously Trump can see that Starmer is not a person to rely on.
Clearly they are polls apart politically – Starmer is an internationalist whilst Trump is a patriot. Starmer sells out the UK at every opportunity like his unfathomable deal to pay Mauritius – an ally of China – to take the Chagos Islands off our hands, whereas Trump unapologetically seeks to do deals to Make America Great Again.
But the schism between the US and the UK is deeper than Starmer and Trump holding different political philosophies. Slippery Starmer’s broken promises and constant U-turns make him an untrustworthy ally, especially given he has failed to live up to his promises to increase the UK’s expenditure on defence too.
Last week it was revealed that the UK’s top military chief, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, told the Prime Minister that the MoD faces a £28billion shortfall between now and 2030. And since 2022, when the UK’s defence spending as a share of GDP was the third highest in NATO, it has now slumped to 12th place.
Starmer can find billions of pounds to increase the benefits bill, billions for net zero and billions for Mauritius, yet the most important role of the government – defence of the realm – doesn’t get a look in. Starmer and his Cabinet of inadequates need to wake up to the growing risks around the world, start prioritising spending on defence instead of benefits and be a more reliable ally to the US in these dangerous times.
It is one thing that we don’t believe a word Starmer says, it is disastrous for the country when our military allies don’t either.
