GB News host Tom Harwood has torn into Sir Keir Starmer's latest U-turn, questioning if the Prime Minister "believes in anything at all".
In his speech on immigration last month, Starmer claimed that Britain could one day become an "island of strangers", with many striking similarities in the language to former firebrand Conservative MP Enoch Powell.
However, Starmer has now admitted he "deeply regrets" the remark in his speech, telling The Observer: "I wouldn’t have used those words if I had known they were, or even would be interpreted as an echo of Powell.
"I had no idea and my speechwriters didn’t know either. But that particular phrase, no, it wasn’t right. I’ll give you the honest truth: I deeply regret using it."
Tom Harwood hit out at Keir Starmer's 'regret' over his 'island of strangers' comment
GB News / PA
Discussing the Prime Minister's latest U-turn on GB News, Tom fumed: "It's extraordinary. Today we've not only had a U-turn on disability benefits, we have also a U-turn on the words that the Prime Minister chooses to use about migration. Does our Prime Minister believe anything at all?"
Emily was equally as infuriated, adding: "U-turns on words just wind me up, just stick to what you said. It was written in a speech, it's not like it was an off the cuff remark that he made in a really long interview when the interviewer was pressing him and pressing him and pressing him. No, it was written down. It was thought about.
"It was to try to appeal to a bunch of voters that perhaps he was worried he wasn't appealing to before. And now, speaks to his mate at the Observer, and he suddenly says 'oh no, that sounded a bit racist, I terribly regret it, but it wasn't my fault anyway, because even my speech writer didn't know it had anything to do with Enoch Powell'.
Arguing that them being unaware of the links to Enoch Powell could be possible, Tom explained: "Well, I completely believe it, actually. I know a lot of people disagree with me on this, but I completely believe Keir Starmer when he says I didn't know it was anything to do with Enoch Powell.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
The Prime Minister has said he 'deeply regrets' claiming the UK risked becoming an 'island of strangers'
PA"I've read a few Enoch Powell's speeches, it didn't jump out to me. Enoch Powell never said island of strangers, he used the word strangers in a speech. You'd have to really try to make it sound like Keir Starmer was quoting this guy. And yet everyone's taken it as, 'oh, it was an Enoch Powell speech, hook, line and sinker'."
Taking aim at the Prime Minister's several U-turns in recent months, Tom stated: "The problem is, it's not that he doesn't believe anything and is sort of picking one lane and going down that for expediency, he's veering from one lane to the other constantly, week after week, it's a different Prime Minister saying a different thing.
"Island of strangers - oh, I'm so sorry, that was a little bit racist. I'm going to cut these benefits, now I'm not going to cut these benefits. I mean, what does this man actually think?"
Emily agreed, saying: "I'm not sure he actually has any kind of overriding principle driving him or even an ideology driving him, it is absolutely absurd.
Tom and Emily delivered their verdict on Starmer's latest U-turn
GB News
"I think he tried to sound a bit down with the public with those comments, but a few left wingers get a bit upset with him and he's forced to backtrack. It's embarrassing."
Emily added: "He's apologising for other people's interpretation of words that he said and didn't even write himself.
"Although he should have really read them in advance from his speechwriter. And a Prime Minister looks rather weak, don't you think, if they're apologising for how someone else interprets their words wrongly?"
Most Read
