Dear John,
This week, Keir Starmer is visiting Italy to meet with Giorgia Meloni, the country’s right-wing leader whose party has roots that trace back to Italy’s fascist past. Starmer is there to “learn” from Meloni’s immigration policies, which have drawn significant criticism from human rights organizations.
Amnesty International has described Italy’s detention centres as “liable to violate international human rights law,” and Meloni’s approach as “punitive” and damaging to human dignity. These concerns raise important questions about whether such policies should be considered a model for the UK.
When asked about aligning with a policy that could violate human rights, Starmer defended his approach as a “return to British pragmatism.” But in the context of recent elections, where the public overwhelmingly rejected the Conservative Party’s narrow focus on immigration, this decision seems out of step with what many voters want and with the fresh approach Starmer promised during the election. It’s especially baffling given that small boats account for less than 2% of overall migration to the UK.
Starmer’s willingness to engage with this kind of policy suggests a reluctance to tackle immigration in a more constructive way. Instead, he seems to be continuing a pattern of political short-termism, focusing on symbolic issues rather than addressing the deeper challenges we face.
This moment reminds us that simply changing the party in power won’t automatically fix the damage done to our political culture. True reform is needed to shift our political system away from quick fixes and soundbites towards meaningful, long-term solutions. Without substantial democratic reform, our politics will continue to drift towards the kinds of superficial solutions that have characterised the Conservative Party and Reform UK in recent years.
The stakes are high. If Starmer doesn’t kick this habit soon, the consequences could be serious, not just for our day-to-day politics but for the very fabric of the democratic system that underpins it.
