Shabana Mahmood’s intention of pushing ahead with tough new laws on asylum and immigration is already being seen by many in Labour and the trade union movement as deliberately provocative and further damaging the Labour brand.
The fury at the home secretary is fuelled by the defeat in the Gorton and Denton by-election last week to the Greens – confirmation for many on the left that the project under Sir Keir Starmer has systematically undermined “true” Labour values and destroyed its voter base.
