The Labour Party just ramped up its racist political theatre for the far-right with another disgusting anti-immigration stunt.
As first reported in the Times, it seems that Keir Starmer is taking the fight right to Reform and Nigel Farage’s front door. Like some grim reality TV show, the government is planning to:
publish a series of videos showing the “journey” of an illegal immigrant, from detention in early morning raids to transfer from bleak immigration removal centres to waiting planes and — subject to approval — footage aboard flights out of the country
🚨 NEW: From Monday, the Government will release videos of illegal immigrants being detained and deported to convince voters that it is taking action
It comes as voters say Labour’s boast of 16,000 deportations is ‘not true’ because it hasn’t appeared in the news
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) February 8, 2025
Politicians from the Green Party pointed out the similarities to Reform policies:
Voting Labour – or showing support for Labour – is taking us down the road of fascism.
And Reform are waiting in the wings to show them how to do it properly.
The future of our country requires a mass movement of resistance against this doom spiral.https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp https://t.co/TV4kzofIka
— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) February 8, 2025
Is this serious?? It’s the anti-immigration mugs from 2015 all over again – and that didn’t end well. Desperate attempts to out-Reform Reform simply reinforce their messaging. Why not try offering meaningful change, & investment in public services & local communities instead? https://t.co/01HMfyJ4d1
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) February 8, 2025
It’s obvious this is Labour continuing its lurch to the right, all in a gross bid to win-over racist Reform voters.
Labour seem to be having a bit of an identity crisis.
Of course, in reality, this is the Labour right to a Tory ‘T’. They’ll be cracking out the Miliband “Controls on Immigration” mugs any day now. So no “change” there then:
When the Labour Party promised “change,” folk naturally assumed they meant “change for the better.” They didn’t expect “we’re about to change into the Reform Party.” https://t.co/zuEnYozLD3
— Alan Ferrier (@alanferrier) February 8, 2025
Jeremy Corbyn highlighted that its all about demonising migrants making dangerous journeys to reach the UK. Political scapegoating like this will put more lives at risk:
Scapegoating refugees has always been a deliberate ploy by governments to distract from their own domestic failures.
Pandering to Reform UK will backfire — and vulnerable people will pay the price.
End dangerous crossings by opening safe routes for fellow human beings instead.
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) February 10, 2025
Of course, the stunt will do nothing to stop people making these fatal journeys. To do that, the government needs to expand safe routes to asylum in the UK – something which doesn’t fit Labour’s narrative of being tough on immigration.
Ultimately though, the point isn’t to save migrant lives. It’s to bolster Labour’s popularity with the racist voters it now sees as its base:
the government continuing to try and appeal to the very worst of reform voters rather than show anyone any meaningful change or progress because they know they will never have any, scapegoating immigrants like this in the process. This is gross on so many levels. https://t.co/bNU3ckFcH0
— Fir (@Firlows) February 8, 2025
What kind of dystopian shit is this? Oh wait, it’s the Labour right
Labour’s Clive Lewis was quick to point out a potential new revenue stream. Seeing as though Labour are not usually afraid of making money from people suffering, it doesn’t even seem as far-fetched as his sarcasm intended:
Why not show all 16,000 arrests of people being dragged off, restrained, screaming, sobbing on a 24hr looped channel?
Govt could make an income stream from it with adverts from various corporate sponsors… https://t.co/dXfC3Fv7nN pic.twitter.com/Gy72yrOVJa
— Clive Lewis MP (@labourlewis) February 8, 2025
Vilifying migrants for ratings from racists is some Hunger Games-like dystopian shit if ever there was some:
Hmm. Dystopian acceleration noted. Labour to televise deportations to appease racists.
Mind you, the racists will not be satisfied until the UK becomes a white ethnostate…
What a race to the bottom. https://t.co/UfGcYUtmhx
— should be writing not scrolling (@itsjacksonbbz) February 8, 2025
£5 a month for basic subscription
£10 a month enables ad-free 4k playback so you can really see the fear in their faces
£25 a month gives you premium tier access to livestreams of foreign children crying, downloadable so you can enjoy those moments again and again https://t.co/hhxKhTVmIN— Dan Douglas (@dandouglas) February 8, 2025
How much is this negative racist demeaning action costing ? Vulnerable people’s lives are not a reality TV show. What a country. Grim. https://t.co/7Al2JumPlt
— Catherine Taylor (@KatyaTaylor) February 8, 2025
Very ‘Tory DWP minister donning a stab vest and swaggering about in a dawn benefit raid‘ video. A poster on X pitched that maybe Labour could roll out a whole series:
Maybe a box set entitled ‘Tougher than Tories’
Season 1 People being deported
Season 2 Chronically sick people forced to work
Season 3 People being refused benefits
Season 4 Stopping Winter fuel payments
Season 5 Two child capA boxset binge watch for potential Labour voters https://t.co/ZSME8C2JsW
— Cantona & Best (@bestcanton7) February 8, 2025
Pandering to far-right fascist shitheads
Ultimately though, it won’t end well for Labour. Pandering to Reform will only fuel the rise of the far right. However, it’s going to end worst of all for asylum seekers – because that’s who its racist showboating will continue to harm.
Because when it comes down to it, Labour is using the same, racist, “hostile environment” playbook that’s continued to devastate migrant lives. And when it inevitably does fail, Reform will be grinning gormlessly and spewing its fascist plans to finally put a stop to immigration – which also wouldn’t work obviously – but that won’t matter. Come the next election, Labour’s vote will collapse much like the Tories’ did.
Instead of making a show out of migrants suffering, the government should treat migrants with the dignity and respect they deserve, and open up safe passage to them. Migrants lives should never be a political football – least of all to win-over the far-right fascist shitheads fawning over Farage’s racist vanity show-turned-political party. The return of the Labour right nasty party is sure giving it a run for its money on that front though.
Feature image via
