Sir Keir Starmer has taken the fight to Reform UK by saying that Labour ministers have to admit working Britons' concerns about "untrammelled immigration" have been ignored for too long.
In a 1,500 word letter to members of his Cabinet - a copy of which has been seen by GB News - the PM said that Labour had to recognise that working Britons felt let down by the UK's leaders on migration and to stop patronising them.
And the Prime Minister said that Labour had to to show the policies of Reform UK - on flat taxes or charging to use the NHS - were not the answer.
In the letter to all of his Cabinet ministers sent in the past week, he said: "Pure economic migration was confused with genuine concern for those fleeing persecution. We ended up treating all immigration as an untrammelled good.
Sir Keir Starmer has taken the fight to Reform UK by saying that Labour ministers have to admit working Britons' concerns about "untrammelled immigration" have been ignored for too long
PA"Somehow, politics ended up being too scared to say what is obvious - that some people are genuine refugees and some aren’t; that people coming here to work can be a positive, but that an island nation needs to control its borders.
"At the same time, our voters, our people were telling us over and over that we were wrong. That sense - of an establishment that hasn’t been listening - is deeply felt by working people in Britain."
The PM added: "At the same time, our voters, our people were telling us over and over that we were wrong. That sense - of an establishment that hasn’t been listening - is deeply felt by working people in Britain.
"Increasingly, Europe is waking up to this now too. The split between our own preconceived ideas and, frankly, reality has created a schism. We must mend it – and we must do so through actions not words.
"Ministers had to stop looking down on people who are worried about immigration.
"What started with good faith paternalism has too readily become looking down at people.
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"What started with ‘experts know what they are talking about’ became ‘you don’t know what’s best for you’. It is a simple matter of respect. I often think about my Dad, who felt disrespected and looked down on because he did a blue-collar job."
The PM cited the example of a woman he met in Oldham, Lancashire, who only felt able to raise concerns about young migrant men from Europe committing anti-social behaviour by convincing him first that she was not racist.
He said: "I think about a woman I met in Oldham who was worried about anti-social behaviour on her street caused by groups of young men from Europe.
"Before she could do so, she took out an old box of photos to show me a wedding she had been to for her Asian neighbours.
"In order to speak to a Labour politician about an issue that was deeply worrying her, she felt she first had to explain that she wasn’t a racist. That is devastating."
Starmer took a swipe at the policies offered by Reform UK, which is leading Labour in some polls.
In a 1,500 word letter to members of his Cabinet - a copy of which has been seen by GB News - the PM said that Labour had to recognise that working Britons felt let down by the UK's leaders on migration and to stop patronising them
NIGEL FARAGEHe said: "This new era doesn’t have to be defined by those on the right who want to charge people to use the NHS, or have a flat taxation system that hands tax cuts to millionaires and tax rises to everyone else, or cut back rights for parents and women, or cuddle up to Vladimir Putin.
"None of those things are what the working people of this country want. And that leaves a huge space for us to fill."
And he concluded with a pledge that his Government would stand up "for ordinary people who feel shut out and ignored by elites".
Starmer said that his Government would take on "vested interests" of all kinds, adding: "It means standing up for ordinary people who feel shut out and ignored by elites. Whenever we see barriers to renewal, this government will tear them down."
Responding to Labour's bombshell letter, Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice said: “Quite frankly it’s concerning the Prime Minister has to tell his own cabinet to stop looking down on working class voters and take immigration seriously.
"If this doesn’t show the true colours of Labour, I don’t know what does.
“Once again Labour plan to use smears and lies to try and stop the rise of Reform.
"We know this won’t work. The British people have already had enough of broken promises by Labour and now want real change in the form of Reform. We are coming for Labour.”
