LONDON

British Premier Keir Starmer on Tuesday called for a tougher stance on immigration, asserting that net migration is currently too high and must be more carefully managed.

During his Labour conference speech in Liverpool, Starmer emphasized the importance of addressing public concerns, stressing that migration control is a legitimate and pressing matter for the country.

"I have always accepted that concerns about immigration are legitimate," Labour leader Starmer said, making clear that it is Labour’s policy to reduce net migration and lessen the UK’s reliance on foreign labor.

He highlighted the frustration caused by certain industries importing workers despite a vast pool of talented, unemployed young people in the UK eager to work.

"There are plenty of examples where apprenticeship starts are going down while visa applications for the same skills are going up," Starmer noted, suggesting that better opportunities should be provided for the domestic workforce. "So we will get tough on this."

He also addressed the issue of illegal migration, stating that it must be dealt with responsibly. He acknowledged that part of tackling the problem will involve processing and granting asylum to some individuals.

"We can’t pretend that there’s a magical process where we return people here unlawfully without accepting that some will be granted asylum," he said.

Alongside his focus on migration, Starmer linked the issue to the broader challenge of housing.

He called for more homes to be built, arguing that every community has a duty to contribute to making home ownership a viable goal for the next generation.

In his speech, Starmer was careful to distance his stance on immigration from the racial tensions that have erupted in recent years, particularly after the riots seen over the summer.

He underscored that the debate on immigration is not about the worth of migrants but about restoring control over the process.

"It’s about control of migration. It’s always been about control," he said. Starmer argued that people have consistently voted for more control, and that the Conservative government had failed them by delivering an immigration system that reduced this sense of urgency.

"The Tories gave them the exact opposite," he claimed, framing the Conservatives as the party of the "uncontrolled market."

While recognizing the importance of competitive markets, Starmer said these forces do not naturally offer control, something he believes the government must provide.

"If you want a country with more control... then that does mean more decisive government," Starmer added, concluding that "taking back control" is fundamentally a Labour argument, not just one defined by Brexit.