Starmer warns UK risks becoming an "Island of Strangers"

On 12 May 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveiled his government’s new Immigration White Paper.

According to government data, asylum applications have risen by 30% since 2023, putting a further strain on border control and public services.

Addressing the nation, Starmer's speech framed the issue as a defining challenge for the nation’s current social fabric.

"If we are not careful," Starmer warned, "we risk becoming an island of strangers, divided and disconnected. We must take back control of our borders and rebuild trust in our immigration system."

Under Home Office support, currently, 40% of asylum seekers are accommodated across London and North West England.

Though Starmer emphasised the importance compassion in his speech, he said: "generosity must be fair and sustainable".

However, the UK’s asylum application rate in 2024 recorded 16 per 10,000 people entering the UK, which still remains below the EU average of 22 per 10,000.

Critics from opposition parties and human rights groups have expressed concern over Starmer's tougher stance.

Zarah Sultana, Labour MP for Coventry South, remarked that the government's rhetoric risks further marginalising already vulnerable communities.

Additionally, Afghan-born author and former child refugee, Gulwali Passarlay, challenged the idea that asylum seekers remain outsiders, he said: "That strange aspect may be there in the beginning, but it doesn’t last for long. We are people of hospitality, people of kindness… most people actually have generosity."

He continued: "The government tries to divide us and put us into strangers, but actually we are friends, we are neighbours… we are fellow citizens."

"I have felt nothing but love, warmth and appreciation from people, from all walks of life,” he said. “That just shows people they may be strangers but they care about their fellow human beings," he said.

As the UK reckons with record-high asylum claims, Starmer's speech sets a precedent for the nation's stance on immigration for years to come.