Far-right? Look where the protests are...LABOUR strongholds - uncontrolled immigration concern spreads across political divide - Kelvin MacKenzie

Uncontrolled immigration

Uncontrolled immigration is a concern for a number of communities

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Kelvin Mackenzie

By Kelvin Mackenzie


Published: 05/08/2024

- 19:22

Kelvin MacKenzie is the former editor of The Sun

The least surprising fact to emerge in the month of chaos since Labour came to power is that Starmer has become more unpopular. As I predicted, those potholes have become Socialist potholes since the Election and those ‘’small boats’’ have become their ‘’small boats ‘’.

The latest poll from Opinium shows in the two weeks since their last survey, Starmer’s approval rating has fallen from +19% to +3%. I absolutely guarantee that it will have collapsed into negative territory in another two weeks.


And there he will join Rachel Thieves who has fallen already from +11% to -12%. I forecast they will be the most unpopular PM and Chancellor in history as it becomes clear very few actually voted in favour of Labour but against the hopeless Tories.

Starmer is quite right in encouraging the police to stand firm against the thugs (the anti-cop rhetoric of the mob has been a total shock to me) but when these rioters are serving long jail sentences the problem which encouraged them on to the streets in the first place will still be there.

Until we stop the boats we won’t stop the problems on our streets. There was an interesting piece by two reporters in The Times today looking at the make-up of the crowds which protested in mainly northern towns.

True the majority were thugs simply looking for a fight, but there were also local people who link immigration to a difficulty seeing their GP and the fact that rents have risen.

The Times piece says many of those marching are young men (presumably encouraged by Andrew Tate) but there were women too. An elderly woman, who joined the protest outside a mosque in Liverpool, said; ‘’ You can’t get a doctor’s appointment and they’re prioritising foreigners over our own people. It needs to stop.’’

The thugs may well be far right but the worry about the numbers of immigrants coming to our country spreads right across the political divide. Look where the troubles were. Hull, Tamwoth, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Blackpool, Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent. All Labour strongholds.

Ambitious working-class Labour voters in the North probably feel even more angry at what is happening to their neighbourhoods as they are much closer to the issue than the middle classes who run mainstream media down South.

Take Andrew Marr. Please. I have no idea why but he’s ended up on LBC, presumably having outstayed his welcome on the BBC.

This is what Marr said a few days after Labour won power; ‘’For the first time in many of our lives, Britain felt like a little haven of peace and stability, governed by down to earth serious people talking like the rest of us.’’

Looking around at ten Northern towns this morning, perhaps Marr would like to say where he sees that ‘’ peace and stability.’’ There is none and nor likely to have any until we solve the illegal migrant issues.

The truth is that we could try pushing the boats back. It would lead to a huge row with France and an even bigger row with the EU who will threaten to cut off all trade. That would be a mistake for Europe as they export much more to us than we do to them. Labour won’t do that.

Further, we could pull out of ECHR. That is popular, but Labour won’t do that. Starmer is a lawyer, he loves a court. It’s how he made his money. He wants more courts not less.

The reality is that under this lot, for the next five years, we are likely to see sporadic bouts of quite serious violence. Without a decent opposition, and let’s be honest the Tories are useless, Labour will keep wringing their hands, talking about thuggery, and hoping the whole thing will go away.

It won’t and they will be chucked out big time in 2029. But you are right, that’s a bloody long time to wait. Unfortunately, it’s called democracy.

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