Keir Starmer 'doesn't know where he stands' on immigration, Stafford tells GB News

GB News

Weighing in on Sir Keir Starmer's U-turns, former Conservative MP Alexander Stafford said he "doesn't know where Starmer stands" on the key issue of immigration.Stafford explained: "I think it goes back to what does he believe? That speech he did only six weeks ago, he seemed to have set out, actually, a concrete belief that something's going wrong in the country, mass immigration is dividing the country, and we need to bring people together."But now he seems to be saying, actually, it's not as bad as I made out. So what are we to believe? Is mass immigration bad, is it good, is it more nuanced?"He added: "So I don't know actually where he stands on probably the most fundamental issue facing this country over the next decade."FULL STORY HERE.

Transcript

00:00I don't know what's going on, to be honest. How can you apologise to delivering a speech six weeks ago

00:04and a six-year-old lady decided to change your mind about the words you wrote when you agreed to?

00:07It's all very odd. I don't understand.

00:09Have you ever read out a speech you didn't agree with?

00:10Well, generally...

00:11Honestly? Come on, now confess it on Sunday morning.

00:14I actually believe. You don't have to say the words. No-one's forcing you to say certain lines.

00:18What I do think it is, is Keir Starmer wanted to try and come across as tough as dealing with the small boats crisis,

00:23wanted to set out a store saying we're going to deal with the situation.

00:26And here we are six weeks later, and he's abjectly failed.

00:29Small boat crossings have absolutely exploded.

00:31So he's trying to row back quickly from his words.

00:33I don't think there's anything wrong with what he said, and I have no idea why he's apologising.

00:37And as far as I'm aware, there hasn't been a big public backlash.

00:40I think most of the public said, at last.

00:42He's listening to our issues. He's understanding the problem.

00:45Well, I was there in the briefing room when he gave that speech, and I went with him to Albania on the Thursday.

00:50That was the big immigration week when they felt they were going to make some ground,

00:54maybe announce a deal, haven't done it yet, for a returns agreement

00:56or an offshore processing deal somewhere in the Western Balkans.

01:00Albania said no.

01:01He was trying to get on the front foot, I think, against the rise of reform and knew what he was trying to do.

01:05And it was surprising, the language.

01:07But GB News viewers welcomed it.

01:09Eve, what's your take on this?

01:10So I didn't welcome it.

01:11I think it was a pretty horrible thing to say, and I don't appreciate it.

01:15But what I think has happened...

01:16Isn't he right, though, the fact that people's neighbours are changing by mass migration?

01:19No.

01:19When people arrive there, then they don't know who they are.

01:22They are strangers to them.

01:23What is happening is we're seeing a social breakdown because we've lost our public spaces and our community cohesion.

01:28The solution to that is not to blame immigrants and people from ethnic minority backgrounds,

01:32but it's instead to look at what brings people together.

01:34But I think what you can take from what Starmer has done,

01:36and I think he's right to apologise because fundamentally it's not what the Labour Party should stand for,

01:42is that this way of doing politics, where you focus group it and you add a little bit from reform

01:47because you want to kind of shore up this, doesn't really work if you want to keep your party together long term

01:52because it's about values and it's about what Labour MPs are prepared to commit to and believe in.

01:56And if you don't have a party together, you've got nothing.

01:59Candice Holdsworth, are we being a bit unfair on the PM?

02:02Because the context is those arson attacks on his family car, on his home,

02:08which he's not living in right now in Islington,

02:10although family members are living there.

02:12There's a lot going on in the background, attacks on his family.

02:16He said that as much in Parliament and he gave a speech on the Monday after a very difficult weekend.

02:21Yeah, it's interesting you point that out and it's something that I would point out as well.

02:26I think he, to me, he just seems overwhelmed.

02:28I mean, this is like a time of crisis.

02:30I think any leader would struggle.

02:32I mean, you're constantly firefighting.

02:33There's so much going on.

02:35And personally, he seems exhausted.

02:37I mean, his popularity has plummeted.

02:38That's a lot for a person to deal with.

02:40But I must say, to row back so quickly, I mean, this is something you expect someone to say 30 years,

02:46you know, in their autobiography and they're thinking about all the things they should have done.

02:50This is weeks later.

02:51So this is someone, I think, who just isn't in control anymore.

02:54He's really, really, really struggling.

02:56But as I say, maybe the impact on his private life, sort of masked, he didn't see the risk.

03:00I mean, he said he didn't hold the speech up to the light, is that expression he used.

03:04I mean, Alexander, do you believe?

03:06No, I don't think.

03:07He's not blaming the advisers there.

03:08To his credit, he's blaming himself, not advisers, for writing the words out.

03:12But I think it goes back to what does he believe?

03:13And I think that speech he did six weeks ago, it's only six weeks ago, he seemed to have set out actually a concrete belief.

03:19Something's going wrong in the country.

03:20Mass immigration is dividing the country.

03:22We need to bring people together.

03:23That's your fault, by the way.

03:24Your government's fault.

03:25Well, I think when numbers came down, and actually numbers are now going back up.

03:28The Boris wave went up when he was in charge, Boris Johnson.

03:30And then we put measures in place and they've gone down.

03:32But now numbers are going back up.

03:33And suddenly he doesn't seem to be saying, OK, are you saying mass immigration is bad?

03:36Which he was saying six weeks ago.

03:38But now he seems to be saying, actually, it's not as bad as I made out.

03:41So what are we to believe?

03:43Is mass immigration bad?

03:44Is it good?

03:45Is it more nuanced?

03:46So I don't know actually where he stands on probably the most fundamental issue facing this country over the next decade.

03:51Eve, where does he stand?

03:53That's not clear.

03:54And Alexander's right.

03:55He believes in values.

03:56He's a Labour guy.

03:57But we don't really know what's at the heart of his belief.

04:00I mean, I've asked him before, are you Nigel Farage in disguise?

04:04I asked him that when they axed the aid budget and spent money on the defence budget, which is a reformed UK policy from last year's election.

04:11Yeah.

04:11I mean, I think it tells you, I think a lot when we see Labour politicians coming out with these lines, it doesn't seem very sincere.

04:18The public don't believe it.

04:19And ultimately, Labour cannot out Farage Farage.

04:21And it shouldn't try.

04:22But they're going to where the votes are, aren't they?

04:24They're not saying, come to us.

04:26We're this temple of left-wingery.

04:29They're going back to, they're trying to find where the votes are and bring them across.

04:33Again, what I was saying earlier, I think the Labour government's focus should be on improving people's living standards.

04:38And that will give them a second term.

04:39They cannot possibly beat Farage on this ground.

04:42So why would you try?

04:43Why would you lose your base?

04:45Alexander.

04:45Thank you very much.

04:46So thank you very much.

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