'Worrying about immigration doesn't make you right-wing or racist', says Red Wall Labour MP

Brash is a leading member of the of the increasingly influential "Blue Labour" group, which wants the Government to adopt more policies to take the fight to Reform UK.

He said: "We want the Government to adopt policies that put our working class communities, our post-industrial heartlands first, that recognise that we have to invest in those areas, that have to create those jobs, that has to recognise the concerns that those voters have that are very clear."

Brash's comments come after Sir Keir Starmer was criticised by the Labour left for saying that mass migration risks turning the UK into an "island of strangers".

Brash, who was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in last July's General Election, added: "Worrying about immigration does not in any way, shape or form make you right-wing and or racist.

"It's a perfectly legitimate concern. It's something that has to be addressed. You know, we're just very straight talking. And I think that that's what we want to push the government to adopt."

Addressing left wing Labour MPs head on, Brash added: "If you become obsessed with the words, you're probably in a hiding to nothing. I think focus on the actions.

"If anyone wants to say that the public aren't concerned about the level of immigration, if anyone wants to argue that immigration is not too high, I invite them to do so. They're wrong.

"And I think that at the end of the day, we need to tackle this problem with actions. Focusing on the words isn't helpful."

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