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Keir Starmer told to reclaim the narrative on immigration

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak is urging the left to reclaim the progressive argument for a controlled migration policy, criticising both Keir Starmer's recent statements and the dangerous and false claims of Nigel Farage and Reform.
Nowak's intervention comes amid a heated debate on immigration, with Farage claiming Reform is the party of the workers and Starmer accusing Reform of economic plans that would cause a Liz Truss-style economic meltdown.
Nowak calls for proper funding for the Fair Work Agency to combat exploitative employers and for a more humane asylum system that allows asylum seekers to work and contribute to the economy.
He argues that the British public is not anti-immigration but anti-chaos, rejecting a system that feels unfair and out of control, with long waiting times for asylum cases and underinvestment in local services.
Nowak advocates for solutions such as trialling humanitarian visas to allow people to apply for asylum legally from abroad, criticising cruel policies like the Rwanda plan.