"Labour conference voted for Freedom of Movement & it is there that Labour policy has always been decided & adhered to until a policy is overturned by mechanisms built within labour since it’s inception as Labour.”
Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer has been criticized for reneging on yet another pledge he made during his leadership election.
Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told the Marr show that the ‘next Labour government will not be reintroducing free movement’, when asked whether a Labour government would agree to the free movement of people between the UK and Europe to increase the chance of a deal on asylum seekers.
It comes after the news that more than 24,700 people have arrived in the UK so far this year after crossing the channel, almost three times the number in 2020, with shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds stating that this is a “shared problem” between France and Britain.
The change in policy led to criticism, with Diane Abbott MP tweeting: “Yet another of the pledges that Keir Starmer made when he was campaigning for the @UKLabour Labour leadership (and without which he would not have won) dumped. Labour members were conned. #ReinstateJeremyCorbyn.”
During his leadership campaign, among Starmer’s 10 pledges was to defend migrants’ rights. The pledge stated: “Full voting rights for EU nationals. Defend free movement as we leave the EU.”
One social media user wrote in response to the change: “I disagree with Keir Starmer’s new position on Freedom of Movement. Labour conference voted for Freedom of Movement & it is there that Labour policy has always been decided & adhered to until a policy is overturned by mechanisms built within labour since it’s inception as Labour.”
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