To think Starmer has shot himself in the foot.

Is he cutting pip? I'd read that pip would be fine but people on uc would have to get pip in order to get the disabled uc element?

I could be wrong, how horrible if so 😪

I am not a Labour voter AS SUCH but live in one of the safest Labour seats in London. Our borough's population is 63% "other than white British" and I love its diversity. I am also married to a person of white, non British heritage.

Speaking to people today... they are aghast that this has actually been said and it's not likely to be forgotten. Those are words that will stick in the mind - well at least I hope they do.

However, looking at the remaining ballot sheet: I have a couple of parties who can't actually work out what a woman is; and not even Count Binface.

Disenfranchised R Us springs to mind

He is not trying to out Reform Reform

He is listening to vast majority of voters the number one issue isn’t the NHS, isn’t the housing crises, isn’t the war in Gaza or Ukraine, isn’t concerns with Trumps chaos,

Labour have finally acknowledged that it’s immigration (as it is in the most western countries) immigration time and time again is coming up as a concern the left can no longer bury their heads in the sand about

Starmer just doesn’t particularly have political appeal. Put someone who can spin it better (like Blair could or Andy Burnham can) and you will have voters return

thats not to say Reform will lose their appeal over night or the Tories won’t pull it together before the next election (though I think it’s more likely to be the one after)

I guess part of the problem is, you can have as many principles as you like, but do they translate to votes? And if they don’t it’s a Groucho moment, ‘These are my principles, and if you don’t like them…well, I have others.’….

Well it was in the white paper so he is sticking to principles, and everyone who voted Labour obviously agreed with it, unless you're suggesting they didn't understand what they where voting for or easily lead?

But, to the point of your question, basically Starmer has to tackle immigration how the public wants on his terms otherwise Reform or worse starts to bubble up, there is a reason why Merkel, Cameron etc al have come out and said multiculturalism has failed and why the real far right (not mn standard) are rising across Europe.

The people who are concerned about the language or can extrapolate through contorted logic an echo to rivers of blood are stuck in the early noughtys where a simple accusation of racism would kill the conversation.

I say this a second gen immigrant, one that doesn't think 'but who will pick the fruit' is a convincing argument as I am not happy pretending I want a servitude class wrapped up into a progressive framework

He is cutting PIP though. People with quite serious physical disabilities are terrified.

I’m Tory turned Reform and I was mildly impressed by what he said. I’ll vote labour next time if his plans work.

I couldn't bring myself to like him even before the election. He's totally ruthless, fairly right of centre and brooks no dissent. But I'd hoped he'd do a bit better than this. All he's doing is opening the door to the far right. How stupid! It seems as though if he can get something badly wrong, he invariably will.

Andy Burnham for PM

Still a prat and actually even more full of shit than I previously thought

I agree. People who like what Reform has to say but cant stomach actually voting for Farage will vote Tory as their “reform-lite”. Who will vote for Labour as reform-lite-lite?

I think you’re probably right OP

He's never going to out-Reform Reform and I think he’s alienated an awful lot of his actual voters with this.

Agreed. When will we ever get a politician who actually has principles and values and creates policies based on those?!

Yanbu, I'm a leftie but I voted green and I'll never like him

Stuff like this, i saw coming. See also, disability benefit cuts. Didn't do it to PIP because of the middle clash backlash, but has decided to attack working class universal credit claimants claiming the disability element

Disgusting and unprincipled man. I know we'd never get a Jeremy corbyn again, but someone who at least cares about the poor and those who work all hours keeping our country going, would be great!