LONDON: UK PM Keir Starmer has been compared to Enoch Powell after he said mass immigration risks making Britain an “island of strangers” when introducing the immigration white paper on Monday. The white paper is facing a backlash from the Indian diaspora.
In his 1968 “Rivers of Blood” speech, Powell had said the native British population had “found themselves made strangers in their own country” because of immigration.
Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana tweeted: “The prime minister imitating Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech is sickening. That speech fuelled decades of racism and division. Echoing it is a disgrace.”
The PM’s official spokesperson told TOI: “The prime minister rejects those comparisons and stands behind the argument he made— that migrants make a massive contribution to our country, but migration needs to be controlled, fair, and at lower levels.”
The announcement that health and care worker visas, the majority of which go to Indian nationals, will be abolished has sent shockwaves through the care industry in Britain.
Nicola Spedding, manager of Heron Hill care home in Kendal, has 50% of her staff from India. She said: “This will impact us greatly. Lots of British people don’t want these jobs. We won’t be able to find enough people in the UK. We have been told not to sponsor any new staff already. We have an advert for a healthcare assistant and all the applications are from overseas. Some of my Indian staff are quite worried. Some care homes may have to close if they can’t find the staff.”
Vijaykumar Pydi, media head of Indian National Student Association UK, said the number of Indians coming to the UK would drastically reduce now owing to the graduate visa route being curtailed to 18 months. “Agents in India are telling Indian students they will get professional jobs and international exposure here, but that’s not the reality. There are not enough jobs in the UK and some companies won’t recruit people on graduate visas, and also the salary threshold for skilled worker visas is high. He said 90% of Indian students were working in the same part-time jobs they had when a student on their graduate visas and only 10% were getting graduate level jobs.
Pratik Dattani, founder of think tank Bridge India, said: “The new rules will make British citizenship much more difficult. It is surprising how rightward the Labour govt has moved. This will create a negative perception of studying and working in the UK.”
In his 1968 “Rivers of Blood” speech, Powell had said the native British population had “found themselves made strangers in their own country” because of immigration.
Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana tweeted: “The prime minister imitating Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech is sickening. That speech fuelled decades of racism and division. Echoing it is a disgrace.”
The PM’s official spokesperson told TOI: “The prime minister rejects those comparisons and stands behind the argument he made— that migrants make a massive contribution to our country, but migration needs to be controlled, fair, and at lower levels.”
The announcement that health and care worker visas, the majority of which go to Indian nationals, will be abolished has sent shockwaves through the care industry in Britain.
Nicola Spedding, manager of Heron Hill care home in Kendal, has 50% of her staff from India. She said: “This will impact us greatly. Lots of British people don’t want these jobs. We won’t be able to find enough people in the UK. We have been told not to sponsor any new staff already. We have an advert for a healthcare assistant and all the applications are from overseas. Some of my Indian staff are quite worried. Some care homes may have to close if they can’t find the staff.”
Vijaykumar Pydi, media head of Indian National Student Association UK, said the number of Indians coming to the UK would drastically reduce now owing to the graduate visa route being curtailed to 18 months. “Agents in India are telling Indian students they will get professional jobs and international exposure here, but that’s not the reality. There are not enough jobs in the UK and some companies won’t recruit people on graduate visas, and also the salary threshold for skilled worker visas is high. He said 90% of Indian students were working in the same part-time jobs they had when a student on their graduate visas and only 10% were getting graduate level jobs.
Pratik Dattani, founder of think tank Bridge India, said: “The new rules will make British citizenship much more difficult. It is surprising how rightward the Labour govt has moved. This will create a negative perception of studying and working in the UK.”
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