No 10 defends Starmer’s language on immigration likened to Enoch Powell speech

Downing Street says it is wrong to compare PM's warning about island of strangers' to 1968 rivers of blood' speech

Downing Street has robustly defended Keir Starmer's language on immigration, which has been likened to that used by Enoch Powell, rejecting the direct comparison but saying the prime minister would not shy away" from direct talk about the subject.

A series of MPs criticised Starmer for his rhetoric when introducing a new policy paper on immigration on Monday, particularly his warning that the UK risked becoming an island of strangers", a near-direct echo of language used by Powell in his infamous 1968 rivers of blood" speech.