05/14/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/14/2025 23:16
'The only principle the PM defends is whichever he last heard in a focus group' - Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru Westminster Leader Liz Saville Roberts MP today challenged Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his shifting stance on migration, accusing him of abandoning principles for political convenience.
Keir Starmer responded by attacking Ms Saville Roberts for "talking rubbish". The Plaid Cymru MP said the Prime Minister's response showed she had "struck a nerve", and that the faces of Labour MPs in the chamber suggested that "plenty of them know [she] was right".
Liz Saville Roberts MP:
"This Prime Minister once spoke of compassion and dignity for migrants, and defending free movement. Now he talks of 'islands of strangers' and 'taking back control'.
"Somebody here has to call this out, Mr Speaker. It seems the only principle he consistently defends is whichever he last heard in a focus group.
"So I ask him: is there any belief he holds which survives a week in Downing Street?"
Keir Starmer responded:
"Yes - the belief that she talks rubbish. Mr Speaker, I want to lead a country where we pull together and walk into the future as neighbours and as communities, not as strangers. The loss of control of migration by the last government put all that at risk - that's why we're fixing the system based on principles of control, selection and fairness."
Speaking after the session, Liz Saville Roberts MP added:
"The Prime Minister's outburst showed that my question struck a nerve. The expressions on the faces of many Labour MPs told their own story - plenty of them know I was right. If his convictions change with the political weather, it's no surprise that support for Labour in Wales, as across Britain, is falling through the floor."