Starmer’s ‘island of strangers’ comments cause a stir in Wales

Local TV

Comments made by the Prime Minister have caused controversy here in Wales, as Senedd members question Eluned Morgan and whether she supports her party leader. It seems that politicians from other parties agree more.

Transcript

00:00Immigration is an issue that's been thrown around increasingly in the last few years

00:05and has come into the spotlight in a fairly significant way in the last week.

00:09The Prime Minister, Sukiya Starmer, went on the record to say that if immigration wasn't curtailed,

00:13then we risk becoming an island of strangers in the UK.

00:16It was controversial and very clearly colourful language,

00:19and the echoes have flown across into Wales where Tory leader Darren Miller

00:23wants to know the First Minister's thoughts on Starmer's words.

00:25Do you agree that immigration to the United Kingdom is too high

00:30and that we risk becoming an island of strangers?

00:33Wales is a welcoming nation.

00:35I think we're very proud to be associated with the values,

00:40the positive things that immigration can bring and contribute to our communities and our societies

00:47and the vast contribution that they make to our public services.

00:51Alina Edmorgan did her darndest to avoid comment improperly on Starmer's words,

00:56but clearly wants to show the benefits of immigration to Wales.

00:59Darren Miller, though, says that he agreed with the Prime Minister

01:02and pointed out issues on people from other countries integrating into British communities.

01:07We continue to see excessive numbers of people who come to settle in our country

01:11who can't speak English.

01:13They fail to integrate some of those people into their local communities.

01:16And I'm afraid that I agree with the Prime Minister,

01:20we will become an island of strangers if we don't deal with this issue.

01:24Look, I recognise that there are concerns in some of our communities,

01:28but I would point out that the levels of immigration in Wales are actually quite low.

01:33And one of the 7% across the country,

01:37and those people on the whole are making a huge contribution to our public services.

01:44You're more likely to be treated by a doctor from overseas

01:52than being stopped in the queue by somebody from overseas in Wales.

01:56Alina Edmorgan clearly argues that the NHS wouldn't be what it is now

01:59if it weren't for our international recruitment.

02:01The applied Cymru leader says it goes further,

02:03and the care industry in Wales will fall to its knees

02:05if it weren't for immigration into the country.

02:08Her party leader, the Prime Minister, wants to undermine that

02:12for political reasons, even adopting the language of division.

02:17And I ask her to distance herself from that language of division

02:20that has been repeated so comfortably today

02:23by the leader of the Conservatives.

02:26But what is her plan now to ensure those reliant on the care sector in Wales

02:31aren't punished by her party's latest dog whistle actions?

02:34I'm not going to use divisive language when it comes to immigration.

02:38That is not the value that we have in Welsh Labour.

02:43But what I can say is that we are committed to making sure

02:47that we do our very best to ensure that we can provide a care service in Wales.

02:53And that will be more difficult if it is not possible to recruit people from abroad.

02:59So, thank you.

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