Theme: Political Economy | Content Type: Journal article

Finding a Balance? Labour's Immigration Dilemmas under Starmer and Burnham

Sunder Katwala

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Immigration was one of the most contentious policy and political issues for Keir Starmer's government. This article looks at how the policy and political agenda of the Starmer government evolved, analysing the sharply contested debate about the electoral impact of Labour's voice and policies on immigration. It outlines the challenges and opportunities for the Burnham government, setting out what a social democratic plan on immigration, seeking to fuse control, contribution and compassion, would mean for the key policy and political choices that the new government faces on immigration.

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    Sunder Katwala

    Sunder Katwala is Director of British Future, a non-partisan think tank that works on identity, immigration and race relations, former General Secretary of the Fabian Society and a member of the Political Quarterly editorial board.

    Articles by Sunder Katwala

Interested in reading more about the 2026 elections?

The elections of 2026 in Scotland, Wales, and across much of England were politically explosive. In Westminster, the disastrous performance of the governing Labour Party precipitated the fall of Keir Starmer and the accession of Andy Burnham. Their Conservative rivals went backwards, underlining the continued existential threats facing Europe's oldest political party. Challenger parties on the left and right, meanwhile, surged and the Welsh government is now, as in Scotland and Northern Ireland, led by a nationalist party.

'The 2026 Elections and their Aftermath' brings together political scientists, historians, and commentators dissecting and contextualising these elections, drawing out the key insights for understanding the past, present and future of British politics.

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