Albanese and Starmer Warn Progressive Governments Must Address Economic and Immigration Concerns to Counter Far Right
Anthony Albanese, the Australian Prime Minister, and Keir Starmer, the British Labour leader, have jointly cautioned that progressive governments must maintain public trust on economic and immigration policies to effectively marginalize the rising political far right. Their comments came during a series of talks with progressive leaders in London, highlighting the need for mainstream parties to provide solutions, not division.
Maintaining Border Control and Economic Stability
Visiting London for discussions with leaders from Canada, Spain, and Iceland, Albanese emphasized that careful management of Australia's borders is critical to sustaining support for legal migration and mainstream political parties. He also noted the importance of delivering real wage growth for workers, thereby addressing concerns that fuel populist sentiment. Despite Starmer's assessment of the UK Conservatives, Albanese met with Kemi Badenoch, but declined to meet with Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK.
Albanese stressed the significance of fulfilling Labor's 2022 and 2025 election pledges in maintaining voter support, highlighting the continuation of "Operation Sovereign Borders" and a strong commitment to border control. He stated, "We've done things that we said we would do, and that's been important to ensure that you can have that faith from people that you're prepared to undertake an orderly system."
The Need for a "Patriotic Renewal"
Starmer, speaking at the Global Progress Action summit in London, urged progressive politicians to actively combat the "lies" propagated by populists and to dismantle the "industrialised infrastructure of grievance." He called for a "patriotic renewal" in politics, echoing Albanese's sentiment of "progressive patriotism." Starmer also defended London against criticisms made by former US President Donald Trump, rejecting claims of anarchy and the imposition of sharia law.
International Collaboration and Economic Policies
Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, and Iceland's Kristrún Frostadóttir, also participated in the conference, underscoring the crucial role of strong economic policies in bolstering support for mainstream political parties. Albanese's itinerary in London included a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a visit to Balmoral to meet King Charles, and attendance at the UK Labour conference in Liverpool.
Aukus Agreement and Future Discussions
Albanese stated that his talks with Starmer included a discussion on the Aukus nuclear submarines agreement with the United States. He will further discuss the $400 billion plan with former US President Donald Trump at the White House next month. "There is no indication that I’ve seen of anything other than support for Aukus going forward," he said. "It is in the interests of all three nations."
