KEIR Starmer looks set to attack the Tories' stance on immigration from the right in a speech marking four years since the last General Election.
The UK Labour leader is set to put forward his pitch to Red Wall voters on Tuesday and put more distance between himself and his predecessor Jeremy Corbyn.
The party has briefed parts of his speech to the tabloids ahead of the event, which is to be held in a yet undisclosed location.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf responds to David Cameron's 'petty' letter on COP28 meeting
And, according to The Sun, Starmer is set to hit out at the Tories for breaking promises on immigration.
He is also understood to claim that ministers have thrown open jobs to those coming from abroad rather than creating jobs and training those in the UK.
Starmer will also reportedly say that Rishi Sunak’s authority to govern has “collapsed” as the Tories embark on a civil war over the Prime Minister’s Rwanda plan.
“Yes, Brexit was a vote for lower immigration - of course it was,” Starmer will say.
"But it was also a vote for the idea that we need to renew; that hard work should be rewarded with a wage people can live on. And for the Tories, that’s the rub.
“Seven years they’ve had to make Brexit work.
"But every time they run up against a choice of whether to raise skills and improve working conditions or issue visas, they choose higher migration. It’s who they are.”
Starmer has previously said that it is “un-British” to disagree with Labour’s border plans in September when he vowed to stop small boats crossing.
READ MORE: David Cameron threat over Humza Yousaf meeting with Erdogan
Sunak has repeatedly tried to ensure that “stopping the boats” is a key factor of his premiership.
Last week, the PM held a disastrous press conference setting out the next steps in his Rwanda plan, after it was found to be illegal in the courts, in an attempt to quell a Tory rebellion.
“The Tories no longer stand for anything and their ability to govern has collapsed,” Starmer told The Mirror.
"While they look inward and battle to save themselves, Labour is focused on the pound in your pocket, and the future of our country.
“We are back in the service of working people."
We told how a Labour shadow minister was criticised after she said her party agreed with the hike of a minimum salary threshold for overseas workers to bring their family members to the UK.
On Sunday, Liz Kendall, shadow work and pensions secretary, told the BBC that the UK should have a “managed and controlled” immigration system, in the wake of reports that the Tories want to raise the salary limit to £38,700.
The SNP called this “depressing” and said it showed Labour is “out of touch” with Scotland, which badly needs migration to tackle population decline.
READ MORE: Prince William 'paid more than £127,000 an hour by taxpayers'
And, the Sunday National told how a political expert said Starmer’s comments regarding Margaret Thatcher was the “worst possible” move to try and win back Scottish voters.
Last week, he had praised Thatcher as a leader who delivered “meaningful change” in a blatant attempt to woo Tory voters.
Starmer attempted to defuse the row over his comments at a Scottish Labour event in Glasgow, insisting that he was not a fan of the former Tory PM.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel