UK PM Starmer compared to Enoch Powell as immigration white paper faces backlash from Indian diaspora

LONDON: UK PM Keir Starmer has been compared to Enoch Powell after he stated mass immigration dangers making Britain an “island of strangers” when introducing the immigration white paper on Monday.The white paper is going through a backlash from the Indian diaspora.In his 1968 “Rivers of Blood” speech, Powell had stated the native British inhabitants had “found themselves made strangers in their own country” due to 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 informed 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 well being and care employee visas, the vast majority of which go to Indian nationals, will probably be abolished has despatched shockwaves by the care business in Britain.Nicola Spedding, supervisor of Heron Hill care residence in Kendal, has 50% of her employees from India. She stated: “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, stated the variety of Indians coming to the UK would drastically scale back 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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