Sir Keir Starmer has said he was not intending to cause offence to the Bangladeshi community, after his comments about Bangladeshi migrants were criticised.
During The Sun’s election debate on Monday, the Labour leader said “people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed” from the UK currently.
This led to criticisms from former MPs, now Labour candidates, in addition to a resignation letter from a Labour councillor.
When questioned during a campaign visit to Staffordshire, Mr Starmer said he valued the relationship and the contribution of the Bangladeshi community in Britain.
He told reporters: “They’ve made a massive contribution to our economy, to our culture and to our country. That’s why there’s always been a longstanding and strong relationship between Labour and the Bangladeshi community here.
“It’s why my first trip as a Labour MP was to Bangladesh, where I saw for myself the strength of the country, the hospitality and warmth of the country. I’ve got many Bangladeshi constituents in my own constituency who I’ve been working with for many years, and I want to build on that in government.”
He added: “The reference in the debate the other day was an example of a country that is considered safe as far as asylum is concerned, and one of the countries that’s actually got a returns agreement with us, and that is actually a good thing where both we and Bangladesh can be proud of.”
“I certainly wasn’t intending to cause any concern or offence to any Bangladeshi community here,” he said.
During The Sun’s election event, Mr Starmer pointed to the number of people being returned to their home country dropping to 44 per cent under the Conservative government.
He said: “So on the first few days in government, I’ll tell you what I’ll do, I’ll put the staff back in the returns unit, I’ll make sure we’ve got planes going off, not to Rwanda, because that’s an expensive gimmick.”
Asked where they would be sent, he added: “At the moment, people coming from countries like Bangladesh are not being removed, because they’re not being processed.”
Following Mr Starmer's comments, Apsana Begum posted a video on X, formerly Twitter, in which she said migrants should not be “scapegoated” by any politicians.
Ms Begum, the former MP and Labour candidate for the London constituency of Poplar and Limehouse, said: “Let me be very clear: I will never stand by and let migrant communities be scapegoated.
“It’s totally unacceptable for politicians of any party to use dog-whistle racism against Bangladeshis or any other migrant community.”
She added: “We know where this leads, and why the Bangladeshi community led the anti-fascist fight back in the wake of the murder of Altab Ali in 1978 with the message ‘here to stay’.”
https://x.com/rushanaraali/status/1806018178973110653
On Wednesday, deputy leader of Tower Hamlets’ Labour group Sabina Akhtar accused Mr Starmer of singling out her community and insulting her Bangladeshi identity, before resigning over his comments.
In a post on X, Ms Akhtar said she could not be proud of the Labour Party anymore, adding: “It is clear the direction it is heading is unacceptable to me and my community.”
Shadow business minister Rushanara Ali said she was “proud to be the first British Bangladeshi MP” elected to the Commons.
In a statement, the Labour candidate for Bethnal Green and Stepney in London, said she was in close contact with Mr Starmer over the comments and had relayed the communities’ concerns.
My resignation letter from the Labour Party. @LabourPandL @TH_Labour @CllrSirajIslam pic.twitter.com/KRk2orvlzS
— Cllr Sabina Akhtar (@akhtar_sabina) June 26, 2024
Mish Rahman, a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee, said Mr Starmer was “bang out of line”.
Speaking to Times Radio on Thursday, Mr Rahman said: “Keir Starmer might not have the same Labour values as I do, but I’m not going to resign from the Labour Party over Keir Starmer.
“In fact, I will challenge Keir Starmer at every opportunity I have when I feel he’s out of line. And today he’s been bang out of line.
“And unfortunately, this seems to be a regular occurrence when Keir Starmer makes these comments to camera where he makes these awful, awful errors of judgment.”
