Labour MP Told Democrat Advisers Don't Be Afraid Of Talking About Immigration
Labour MP Mike Tapp attended the DNC in Chicago this month where Kamala Harris was formally selected as the Democrat presidential nominee. (Alamy)
4 min read
The newly-elected Labour MP for Dover and Deal told advisers at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago not to "ignore" concerns about immigration from working class voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Mike Tapp, who was the first Labour candidate to win the coastal seat since 2005, was among a Labour contingent sent to the DNC last week to help provide advice to Democrats seeking to emulate Labour's success in the UK General Election on 4 July.
He told PoliticsHome one of his messages to Democrats at the DNC was to make it clear to "working class voters" that "difficult topics like immigration" were not being neglected.
"It's what we've done across the UK, but also my seat in Dover and Deal, where that's so important to not ignore that that sort of valid concern," said the Labour MP.
Tapp, who's constituency has a history of migrants arriving there from across the Channel, said it was important for Democrats to make sure their opponents, who have more hardline views on the topic, are not given free rein to shape the narrative on immigration.
Republican presidential candidate and former president, Donald Trump, has been fiercely criticised by human rights groups for his inflammatory language about undocumented migrants arriving into the US by irregular routes — having referring to the them as "rapists" and "murderers", and recently claiming they were taking "black jobs".
According to the US department for Homeland Security, Border Patrol recorded 56,408 migrants on the southern border in July, the lowest monthly total since September 2020.
"Secure borders is fundamental to a nation state, but that doesn't mean you attack the people who are looking for a better life, be it refugee — and that need because they're fleeing war — or even economic migrants," said Tapp.
"It doesn't make them bad people to to be seeking a better life... You go after the gangs that are exploiting people's desires or needs, and that's what we've done.
"Secure borders are vital... secure, or more secure borders, with the right approach — but just don't attack the people, because we need to bring that temperature down, dial that down, not feed extremist rhetoric and not allow it to happen."
Tapp said the Democrats, like Keir Starmer's Labour, should "take it on" using their values, rather than "ignore" the issue of immigration, and that this piece of advice was well received by Democrat advisers he met while in Chicago last week.
"There were people thanking me afterwards for saying it, and for saying that it's not racist to have concerns about immigration," said Tapp.
"But at the same time, you've got to make sure you take it on in the right way and within your values...
"Looking at the sort of ads that they're [Democrats] putting out, that seems to be the line they're taking. Attacking the smuggling gangs on the southern border, etc.
"It's often helpful to have a good friend tell you that it worked for you, because I we all know with politics a lot of it's grey, and it can be quite difficult to know whether you're doing the right thing."
Tapp also said Labour's plans on housing, where the new Government is relaxing planning rules in a bid to significantly boost supply, was another key topic Democrats wanted to hear from their British counterparts about.
"Housing came up a lot. They are suffering similar issues with people not being able to afford housing," said the Labour MP.
"They're taking great interest in not only our campaign on that, but also what we're doing already in government, to start breaking down those barriers."
Recent polling suggests the early November election is going to be closely fought between Trump and Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris, who stepped in to replace President Joe Biden after he withdrew from the race. Tapp said there was a sense at the DNC that the election was going to be close.
"A bit of caution you've got to take is that Donald Trump can't really mess up," said Tapp.
"Kamala Harris isn't as well known, and when it comes to debates, every time she's in front of a camera, if she does mess up - which she probably will at some point, because that's politics - it will be big news."
He said the rally convention "had hell of a lot of energy and positivity" which "politics in general is lacking globally and in the United States".
Tapp told PoliticsHome: "it's hard to make historical comparisons, but I couldn't help but feel a 2008 Barack Obama vibe to the campaign, that sort of positivity and hope and excitement... I found it really refreshing to see that and be involved in it in some way, shape or form."
The Labour MP stressed, however, that while Labour's values obviously "align more closely" with the Democrats' than the Republicans', the "special relationship runs much deeper than the party and and leaders".
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