Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has launched a blistering assault on his successor Sir Keir Starmer, accusing the Prime Minister of being a “plastic patriot” and claiming Labour has “fanned the flames of racism” with its approach to immigration.
In a hard-hitting opinion piece published in The Standard on Thursday, the Islington North MP said both Labour and Reform UK were engaged in a “total sham” when it came to claims of patriotism. The 76-year-old independent politician drew no distinction between the Prime Minister and Nigel Farage, arguing that both leaders were undermining genuine British values.
“Reform and Labour can wrap themselves in as many union jacks as they want,” Corbyn wrote. “Unless their definition of patriotism can make space for empathy toward the poorest in our society, their commands of national pride should be taken for what they are: a total sham.”
The veteran socialist, who led Labour from 2015 to 2020, expressed particular anger at Reform UK’s recent proposals to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain. On 22 September, Farage’s party announced plans to scrap the immigration status entirely if elected to government, affecting hundreds of thousands of people who have built lives in the UK.
“I am utterly appalled by Reform UK’s latest plans to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain,” Corbyn stated. “This reprehensible threat is a chilling reminder of where this country is heading if we do not intervene, now.”
However, Corbyn reserved his harshest criticism for Labour’s handling of immigration policy. He accused the government of abandoning humanitarian principles and effectively emboldening the far right through its rhetoric on migration.
“Labour could have made the case for a humane immigration system that treats refugees with dignity and respect. Instead, they have fanned the flames of racism,” he wrote. “When you demonise migrants, the far-right listen. When you post video footage of detaining and deporting migrants, the far-right watch.”
The attack comes months after Starmer delivered a controversial speech in May launching the government’s immigration white paper, in which he warned that without controlled migration Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers”. The phrase drew immediate comparisons to Enoch Powell’s notorious 1968 “Rivers of Blood” speech and sparked fierce backlash from within Labour’s own ranks.
Starmer later expressed deep regret over the language, telling The Observer in June that he would not have used those words had he known they echoed Powell’s rhetoric. The Prime Minister said he and his family were still shaken from arson attacks on properties he owned at the time of the speech.
Corbyn invoked the memory of the 2017 Finsbury Park terrorist attack in his piece, highlighting how his diverse Islington North constituency had responded to tragedy with unity rather than division. Makram Ali, a 51-year-old father and grandfather, was killed when far-right terrorist Darren Osborne deliberately drove a van into Muslim worshippers leaving Ramadan prayers on 19 June 2017.
“In 2017, Makram Ali was murdered in a terrorist attack in Finsbury Park,” Corbyn recalled. “I will never forget the sight of leaders of all faiths and local communities holding a commemorative event in Seven Sisters Road. They were determined to show that community and humanity are stronger than hatred.”
The former Labour leader argued that “strength in diversity” had sustained his constituency through its darkest moments, describing Islington North as home to over 70 languages and a place where people from around the world have made their home.
Corbyn also accused both Labour and Reform of distracting from what he called the real issues facing Britain. “The great dividers want you to believe that the problems in our society are caused by minorities, migrants and refugees. They’re not. They’re caused by a rigged economic system that protects the interests of the super-rich.”
The MP pointed to child poverty figures, noting that 4.5 million children currently live in poverty whilst the number of billionaires continues to rise.
The government’s immigration white paper, titled “Restoring Control over the Immigration System”, proposes extending the standard qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain from five years to ten years. The changes have sparked widespread concern amongst migrant communities, particularly holders of British National Overseas visas from Hong Kong.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood defended the proposals at Labour’s September conference, arguing that recent immigration levels had “frayed trust and eroded public confidence”. She noted that between 2021 and 2024, 2.6 million more people entered the country than left it.
Corbyn’s intervention comes as he prepares to formally launch Your Party, a new left-wing political vehicle he is co-founding with former Labour MP Zarah Sultana. The party, which registered with the Electoral Commission on 30 September with Corbyn listed as leader, is planning a founding conference in November.
The former Labour leader concluded his piece by contrasting his vision of patriotism with that of the current government. “Real patriotism isn’t about bashing minorities and migrants. It’s about caring enough to make this country a place where nobody is homeless, hungry or left behind.”
Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesman previously said the Prime Minister “absolutely stands behind the argument he was making that migrants make a massive contribution to our country, but migration needs to be controlled.”
YouGov polling published in September showed Corbyn’s net favourability rating at minus 31, identical to Nigel Farage’s score and nine points better than Starmer’s minus 44 rating. However, the Prime Minister remained significantly more popular than Corbyn amongst 2024 Labour voters.
The clash highlights the continuing tensions between Labour’s leadership and its left wing over immigration policy, one of the most contentious issues facing the government as it approaches its second year in office. With Reform UK polling strongly and pressure mounting from multiple directions, the debate over Britain’s approach to immigration shows no sign of subsiding.
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Image Credit:
Jeremy Corbyn — photo by Garry Knight, taken at the #StopTrident rally in Trafalgar Square, 27 February 2016, licensed under CC BY 2.0
