Labour strategy: All talk?

By Ben Langer

Sir Keir and Angela Rayner seen at the Labour Party Conference last September, but now faced with increased scrutiny, especially from the 'left' of the party, is the 'honeymoon period' over? Image: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters

As the country moves in on a year under Starmerite rule, a seemingly obvious shift in policy and rhetoric around immigration issues has risen to the fore. In a recent Number Ten speech, the Prime Minister made reference to what critics have remarked as the disingenuous risk of the United Kingdom becoming an “island of strangers”. For some, the Prime Minister’s warning of Britain becoming an “island of strangers” reads as a calculated effort to pacify voters drawn to Reform UK’s hardline stance. However, to those of his party’s base, it comes as an unwelcome move towards adopting right-wing populist rhetoric.

Some see this as not part of an isolated movement but as part of a wider ideological

transition, from silence on international crises to ambivalence on welfare reform and gender rights. With Reform surging in traditionally Labour-held heartlands, Starmer’s leadership faces a pivotal question: does he continue head-on with the recalibration of his Labour Party or does he immediately halt what some see as the long, painful and slow abandonment of core Labour values.

Immigration, according to YouGov, emerged as the single biggest policy concern for British voters in Q2 of 2025, with 51% listing it as a top issue. In that context, it becomes easier to understand the direction Keir Starmer appears to be steering the Labour Party. Put in cold, electoral terms, toughening rhetoric on immigration could be seen as a pragmatic response to the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which has made significant gains in recent polls. The shift in tone is also less surprising when viewed alongside Labour’s failure to retain the Runcorn and Helsby seat in a recent parliamentary by-election, triggered by the resignation of former MP Mike Amesbury following his conviction for assaulting a constituent.

Since the local elections, where Reform UK performed unexpectedly well, several polls have suggested that if a general election were held tomorrow, a hung parliament would be the likely outcome, potentially positioning Farage within reach of Number Ten. For Labour, securing a second term has become essential, akin to pouring a foundation before building a house. The first term lays the groundwork; the second is where the structure, and the legacy, take shape. In that light, Starmer’s strategic decisions begin to look less like ideological drift and more like political survival for Labour’s fourth ever election-winning leader.

This comes within the context of a pattern of decision making that some within Labour’s core base have audibly criticised. The membership, which is largely comprised of

young voters, the working person, and members of the BAME community have begun to feel alienated from the party as a result of their muted, passive stance on Israel and PM Netanyahu’s renewed mission to control all of the Gaza Strip. Additionally, many within the party’s youth branch Young Labour disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a woman as only a ‘biological woman’ and Starmer’s subsequent support of the ruling.

Yet, one solitary question remains: is this the promised land spoken by Labour last summer, or in fact a version it believes it needs to become to win and reach that second term it so desperately requires. In its haste to sensibly and rightfully become more serious, electable, and palatable to Middle England and to seem changed from its recent history, it is at risk of hollowing itself out, one carefully worded compromise at a time. Yes, Starmer may be realigning his party to be on course for that sacred second term, but what will he be governing for? If leadership means steering the ship, it’s fair now to ask whether the captain has a map or if the only destination is power itself. As Labour loses contact with the movements, voices, and values that provided it with coherence and meaning, it may become less a question of whether this is a smart political move, than it is whether, if and when victory comes, anything will be left to actually celebrate.

Image: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters