Top Tory MP Lee Anderson has taken aim at the Leader of the Opposition over his stance on the migrant crisis, claiming that Keir Starmer has “no moral compass” in a brutal takedown.
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, while sharing a MailOnline article from last year discussing Keir Starmer’s history as a ‘Lefty lawyer’, the MP for Ashfield wrote: “No Moral Compass. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer played a key role in overturning an attempt by Tony Blair 20 years ago to strip asylum seekers of the right to claim benefits.”
The action was taken by Sir Keir Starmer after the then-Labour Government tabled the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act in 2002. David Blunkett, who was the Home Secretary at the time, was aiming to use the law to clamp down on asylum seekers who were “over-staying” their visas.
Sir Keir, who was a human rights lawyer at the time, challenged the law in the High Court the following year. One crucial part of the law was that it said if claimants didn’t apply for asylum “as soon as reasonably practicable” after arriving in Britain, this would mean that they would be ineligible for benefit payments.
The Labour leader was representing five migrant, and argued on the grounds that it contravened the “right to food and shelter” enshrined in the hated EU law – the European Convention on Human Rights.
Meanwile earlier today, Mr Anderson took to X to mock Sir Keir Starmer’s dour communication style, writing: “Do not listen to this man whilst driving or operating heavy machinery.
“As I was driving around Ashfield yesterday I caught a bit of his speech. After a minute my eyes became heavy, I felt drowsy and had to open the windows. Don’t let this man send the country to sleep.”
Analysts have accused Sir Keir of failing to present any sort of vision for what the country would look like under his leadership. Commentators have maintained that the Labour leader is desperately trying to present his party as a credible party of government, following the Corbyn years. But in so doing, he is failing to present anything close to a policy agenda for office.
The 56-year-old Mr Anderson’s remarks came in the wake of Sir Keir’s speech in Bristol, kicking off 2024. The Labour leader, speaking at an aircraft factory, said: “To truly defeat this miserabilist Tory project, we must crush their politics of divide and decline with a new ‘Project Hope’. Not a grandiose utopian hope. Not the hope of the easy answer, the quick fix, or the miracle cure. People have had their fill of that from politicians over the past 14 years.
“No – they need credible hope, a frank hope, a hope that levels with you about the hard road ahead, but which shows you a way through, a light at the end of the tunnel. The hope of a certain destination.”
Critics accused the 61-year-old of lacking substance, as he spoke broadly about the country will “feel different” under his leadership. He said: “The character of politics will change, and with it the national mood. A collective breathing out. A burden lifted. And then, the space for a more hopeful look forward.”
