Robert Jenrick claims UK ‘already island of strangers’ – and names locations with ‘segregated society’
Robert Jenrick has claimed the UK is “already an island of strangers” after the prime minister faced criticism for using that phrase in a speech on migration.
The shadow justice secretary told Sky News Breakfast with Wilfred Frost that the UK was not at risk of becoming an “island of strangers”, as Sir Keir claimed, but that this already the reality.
Politics latest: PM under fire for ‘island of strangers’ phrase
Asked if he agreed with the PM’s language he said: “I think we already are. I think there are certain places in this country where people are not living side by side, where we are a very divided and segregated society.
“If you look at the centre of Bradford, for example, 50% of people were not born in the UK. If you look at the centre of Luton, almost 50% of people only arrived in the UK in the last 10 years. If you look at parts of Dagenham, the white British population has reduced by 50% in the last 25 years.”
In 2021, 80.1% of Bradford residents reported their country of birth as England according to the ONS, while in Luton the figure is 60.3% of the local population and in Barking and Dagenham it was 58.2%.
In Barking and Dagenham, about 85% of the population identified as white in 2001, which fell to 58.3% in 2011 and 44.9% in 2021.
In his speech on Monday announcing a package of measures to reduce net migration, Sir Keir pledged a new system that is “controlled, selective and fair”.
He said without the fair rules, “we risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together”.
The comment has attracted criticism from within his own party, including Labour MP Sarah Owen, who said it could put the UK on “a very dark path”.
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‘We risk becoming an island of strangers’
The chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee said “fair and sensible” checks on immigration “should not equal blaming all the woes of our country on immigrants”.
“The best way to avoid becoming an ‘island of strangers’ is investing in communities to thrive – not pitting people against each other,” she added.
“I’ve said it before and will say it again, chasing the tail of the right risks taking our country down a very dark path.”
Nadia Whittome, the Labour MP for Nottingham East, also said the phrase mimicked the “scaremongering of the far-right”, while former shadow chancellor John McDonnell argued it was reminiscent of the late politician Enoch Powell.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper defended the prime minister, pointing out “he also said we are a diverse nation and that he celebrates that”.
She added: “It is possible to both say that we have had huge benefits through generations by people coming, being part of communities, contributing, and also that that will continue to be important in the future, and also say we have a problem with the immigration system and that net migration needs to come down.”
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The UK will buy at least 12 F-35 stealth jets that can carry nuclear warheads in the most significant strengthening of its nuclear capability in a generation, the government has said.
Today, Sir Keir Starmer will tell a summit of NATO allies in The Hague that the new squadron will join an alliance mission that can be armed with US nuclear weapons.
The dramatic move will doubtless draw condemnation and concern from Russia and China.
But it comes at a time of growing global insecurity – and as the prime minister and his European and Canadian counterparts scramble to convince Donald Trump they are serious about bolstering their ability to defend Europe, instead of overly relying on the United States.
The US president, a long-standing NATO sceptic, raised questions about whether he would uphold the alliance’s founding Article 5 principle – that an attack on one is an attack on all – before he even arrived in the Dutch city last night.
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‘There’s numerous definitions of Article 5’
An urgent need to keep Mr Trump on side has prompted NATO allies to agree to increase spending on defence and national resilience to a new target of 5% of GDP by 2035.
As part of this push to rearm, Sir Keir will give the Royal Air Force the ability to carry airborne nuclear warheads for the first time since the 1990s.
“In an era of radical uncertainty we can no longer take peace for granted,” he said.
“These F-35 dual capable aircraft will herald a new era for our world-leading Royal Air Force and deter hostile threats that threaten the UK and our allies.
“The UK’s commitment to NATO is unquestionable, as is the alliance’s contribution to keeping the UK safe and secure, but we must all step up to protect the Euro-Atlantic area for generations to come.”
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What is NATO’s 5% defence spending goal?
It was not immediately clear when the F-35 jets would be bought or how much they will cost, but the new squadron will be part of a NATO-led nuclear deterrence mission.
That is in contrast to the UK’s national nuclear deterrence, based on a fleet of four nuclear-armed submarines, though they too are used to defend the whole of the alliance.
Mark Rutte, the head of NATO, applauded the plan – saying: “The UK has declared its nuclear deterrent to NATO for many decades, and I strongly welcome today’s announcement that the UK will now also join NATO’s nuclear mission and procure the F-35A.
“This is yet another robust British contribution to NATO.”
Sir Keir watches a demonstration by troops as he visits the Netherlands marines training base. Pic: AP
Aircraft operated by a small number of NATO countries, including Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, are cleared to carry US-provided nuclear weapons in a war.
The RAF and the Royal Navy already operate F-35B jets that can fly off Britain’s two aircraft carriers, but they are not equipped to drop nuclear warheads.
The new planes will be the F-35A variant, operated by the air force, that take off from land but can fly further and be armed with nuclear or conventional weapons.
The government said they would all be based together at RAF Marham in Norfolk.
The government has long planned to purchase a total of 138 F-35 aircraft, but has so far only acquired around three dozen – seven years since the first jets entered service.
The decision to purchase 12 of the A-variant does not mean extra aircraft.
It just means a diversification in the fleet – something the RAF has long been pushing for – though it’s a decision some in the Royal Navy have long pushed back against, believing it would reduce even further the number of the B-version that operate from their carriers.
Read more:
PM warns of ‘era of radical uncertainty’
Podcast – What is NATO without America?
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Is the UK preparing for war?
The government described the plan to purchase nuclear-capable aircraft as the “biggest strengthening of the UK’s nuclear posture in a generation”.
Defence Secretary John Healey said a major defence review published earlier in the month highlighted new nuclear risks.
“It recommended a new UK role in our collective defence and deterrence through a NATO-first approach,” he said.
However, the public version of the Strategic Defence Review stopped short of making any specific recommendation.
It merely said “the UK must explore how to support the US and its NATO allies in strengthening extended deterrence across the Euro-Atlantic”.
The F-35 aircraft is made by the US defence giant Lockheed Martin, but the British defence company BAE Systems is also a key contributor.
The order will support 20,000 jobs in the F-35 programme in the UK.
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