“Take back control!” We’ve all heard that slogan before – but not from Keir Starmer. So it came as a surprise when the Prime Minister, who fought so hard to keep the UK in the EU, adopted the Brexiteer rallying cry for himself, as part of his big speech on immigration.

Labour have adopted the policies and the language previously used by parties such as the Conservatives and Reform. There’s just one problem. When other politicians said these things, Labour and their lefty friends claimed it was horrible, xenophobic and racist. Sir Keir and his colleagues are massive hypocrites.

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The Prime Minister was launching his new immigration White Paper in Downing Street this morning when he declared: “We will take back control of our borders.”

And there was more. He warned: “We risk becoming an island of strangers, not a nation that walks forward together.”

There will be people who agree with him. But can you imagine how Labour would react if a Conservative leader said anything similar?

Sir Keir’s argument is clear. He says that immigration is too high, and must come down.

He said: “In 2023, it reached nearly 1 million, which is about the population of Birmingham, our second largest city. That’s not control – it’s chaos.”

It’s hard to believe this is the same Sir Keir who previously extolled the benefits of immigration.

For example, speaking as a member of the Shadow Cabinet in 2017, he said: “I believe in a sensible, reasonable approach to immigration and our proud record of supporting refugees.

“The benefits of immigration are obvious and should be celebrated.

“But these are not always distributed evenly across different parts of the country, the economy or society. That is why I believe in fair and effective management of migration.”

There was no hint of supporting a limit in the numbers coming in. His only concern then was to make sure every town and city got their fair share.

And let’s be honest – which Keir Starmer do most Labour activists agree with? It’s the old one, who backed immigration.

Sir Keir’s activists, and many of his MPs, will be hoping that deep down, Sir Keir hasn’t really changed at all. They might accept that he feels a need to talk tough but they will be hoping that the policies don’t really change. And they may be proved right.

However, there’s no doubt that the language is different. So why is the Prime Minister so desperate to convince voters he’s changed his mind on immigration?

There are two reasons. The first is the rise of Reform. Labour is losing votes to Nigel Farage’s party, particularly in “red wall” seats in the north and midlands.

The second is that they think voters believe the last Conservative government failed on immigration. Voters don’t trust the Tories to control our borders, so Sir Keir thinks there are some votes to be gained by saying he will do it instead.

Whether voters will believe Sir Keir really means what he’s saying remains to be seen.