Last week, Sir Keir Starmer voiced his worry Britain could become an “island of strangers” if immigration was not tackled.
Some claimed this was a controversial and dangerous stance – drawing parallels with Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech.
But research released today suggests close to half of those in Great Britain feel like “strangers” in their own country.
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The survey, carried out by pollsters at More In Common, asked 13,464 people in Great Britain for their feelings on the matter.
And what is even more surprising is that the survey was carried out over a month before Sir Keir‘s speech.
The research is only being released today, and it is understood that Downing Street had not seen it before the prime minister’s speech.
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However it will likely be welcomed as a justification of a position aimed outside of Westminster.
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Isolation linked to wealth
The prime minister’s concerns about Great Britain being an “island of strangers” was inextricably linked to rising immigration.
But the research out today shows the isolation felt by many is strongly linked to wealth – with the poorest in the country more likely to feel like strangers.
The cost of living was mentioned as a contributory factor by many of those asked.
And when it comes to ethnic breakdown of those saying they feel like strangers, Asian or Asian British people were more likely than either white or black British people to say they felt separate.
Amy, a teacher from Runcorn, told researchers that when “your money’s all going on your bills and the boring stuff like food and gas and leccy and petrol” there is nothing left “to do for ourselves”.
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Who is Starmer targeting?
Those who criticised Sir Keir for his “strangers” speech tended to accuse the prime minister of appealing to supporters of Reform or the Conservatives.
Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana went as far as to claim the speech was a “foghorn to the far right”.
The analysis from More in Common found that people who supported Reform and the Conservatives last year are indeed much more likely to feel like strangers in the UK.
While Labour, Lib Dem and Green supporters are all less likely to feel like strangers, around a third of them do still agree with the statement that they “sometimes feel like a stranger in my own country”.
And the polling also found that Reform and Conservative voters are much more likely to think that multiculturalism threatens national identity, while supporters of the other three parties tend to largely believe multiculturalism is a benefit.
Across the board, supporters of all parties were more likely than not to think that everyone needs to do more to encourage integration between people of different ethnic backgrounds – and similarly a majority think it is everyone’s responsibility to do so.
Luke Tryl, the UK director of More in Common, said: “The prime minister’s warning that we risk becoming an ‘island of strangers’ resonates with millions who say they feel disconnected from those around them.
“But it would be a mistake to say that immigration and lack of integration are the sole causes of our fragmenting social fabric.”
John McDonnell, another former Labour MP, now suspended, told Sky News that having politicians “exploit” resentment fuelled by economic circumstance to shift “the blame onto migrants just exacerbates the problem”.
He said the government needs to “tackle the insecurity of people’s lives and you lay the foundations of a cohesive society”.
With Reform now leading in the polls and the collapse of support for Sir Keir since becoming prime minister, it is unsurprising that what he says seems to match up with what turquoise voters feel.
Work from home alone
The post-pandemic shift to working from home and spending more time alone has also been blamed for an increased feeling of isolation.
Ruqayyah, a support worker from Peterborough, said the shift to home offices had “destroyed our young generation”.
But there are many other reasons that people feel separate from the rest of their country.
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Young people are less trusting of strangers, and there is also a deep discontent with the political system.
Many think the system is “rigged” in favour of the wealthy – although this belief is less common the higher the level of education someone has completed.
The tension that exploded during last year’s riots are also highlighted, and many people are worried about religious differences – a situation exacerbated by foreign conflicts like in the Middle East and between India and Pakistan.
The research was carried out alongside the campaign group Citizens UK and UCL.
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Matthew Bolton, executive director of Citizens UK, said: “We all saw what can happen last summer when anger and mistrust boil over and threaten the fabric of our society.
“The answers to this don’t lie in Whitehall.
“By listening to people closest to the ground about what causes division and what builds unity in their neighbourhood, we can build a blueprint for cohesion rooted in local leadership and community power.”
