SIR Keir Starmer has never wanted to reduce immigration and never will, a former borders minister blasted today.
Top Tory Robert Jenrick launched a scathing attack on Labour's new pledge to slash levels of migration to the UK.
The Labour boss has announced a two-pronged bid to curb numbers: passing laws to crack down on “bad bosses” hiring foreigners and training more Brits.
He told The Sun on Sunday: “Read my lips — I will bring immigration numbers down."
But Mr Jenrick slammed Sir Keir's record, blasting: "Read my lips? Judge Starmer on his record: the man who said 'there’s a racist undercurrent” to all immigration laws'.
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"And fought to stop foreign criminals being deported. He doesn’t want to reduce immigration or stop the boats. Never did. Never will."
In 2020 Sir Keir joined other Labour MPs in signing a letter demanding 50 dangerous offenders were not deported to Jamaica.
Sir Keir insisted last year’s net migration figure of 685,000 has “got to come down" as he vowed to “control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first”.
While parking Labour tanks firmly on Tory lawn, Sir Keir hit out at successive Conservative governments for promising but failing to cut numbers.
Under the new plans, a Labour government would bar bosses who break employment law – for example by failing to pay workers the minimum wage – from hiring foreigners.
It would also legislate to link the immigration system to training, with businesses applying for foreign worker visas having to train Britons to do the jobs.
But Sir Keir and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper both declined to name the target level for migrant numbers, or a timeline.
