Anyone hoping for clarity on Labour’s immigration policy will struggle to find the answer from today’s front pages. Ahead of Starmer’s CBI speech later today, the Telegraph splashes with “UK must wean itself off migrant labour“, as it reports that Sir Keir is set to tell business leaders the days of “low pay and cheap labour” will end with a Labour government. Clearly a toughening of the party’s stance – or so you might think.

The Independent’s splash on the same briefing tells a slightly, erm, different story: according to them, Labour is actually planning to “relax immigration rules to help business growth”. 

Far from ending the country’s economic dependence on immigration, Starmer will add that he’ll be “pragmatic” about the issue and encourage immigration as part of his “strategy for growth“. The only caveat is that, in exchange, “any easing of restrictions must be matched by commitments from employers on better training, pay and conditions for homegrown staff.” A detail that doesn’t even make it to the front page of the paper… 

Either way, cutting back on “cheap” migrant workers is something of a new idea for Labour. It must have focus-grouped well recently. Just over a year ago, who was it that claimed the HGV labour shortage could be solved with 100,000 short term visas for European workers – despite the shortage seeing domestic drivers’ salaries rocket? None other than Sir Keir, obviously…