26 March 2026

Labour’s immigration battle gets heated

Now Denmark has been dragged into the conflict over Shabana Mahmood’s reforms

Shabana Mahmood visits the Sjælsmark return centre in Hørsholm, Denmark, as part of a trip examining the country’s restrictive immigration policies. Photo by Martin Sylvest Andersen/Getty Images

In Westminster, the battle within Labour over Shabana Mahmood’s immigration reforms is getting heated. Keir Starmer’s former director of political strategy, Paul Ovenden, has lambasted squeamish Labour MPs in an article for the Times. Meanwhile Tony Vaughan, who is co-leader of the PLP revolt against Mahmood’s reforms along with Angela Rayner, was the subject of a hit job in the Sun regarding the character of some people he had represented as a barrister, which was then followed up by GB News. The outlets quoted Mahmood-supporting Labour MPs kicking the boot into Vaughan.

Then a new front opened in the debate late yesterday as news came in from, of all places, Denmark. Votes were being counted in the country’s snap election, which was called by the governing Social Democrats (rough equivalents of the British Labour party). Mahmood has explicitly modelled her reforms on the hard-line approach of the Danish SDs, who dressed their immigration programme in the language of social democracy and attempted to outflank the populist right on the issue.

The SDs won first place but saw a sharp drop in their popular vote, scoring their worst result since 1903. The party is now trying to form a new coalition government. Figures on Labour’s soft left who oppose Mahmood’s plans have been quick to crow about this, saying it shows the strategy will fail here as it did in Denmark.

In response to the critique, Mahmood supporters argue that the SDs have neutralised the issue of immigration through their approach and that the Danish election was therefore fought on stronger ground. One said: “The idea the Danish SDP had a tough election because they got control of the border 7 years ago is either cynical or delusional. This was an election in which pig shit was a bigger issue than immigration.”

Of course Britain is not Denmark, and the room for comparison is limited. But in this row the two sides are showing they will throw anything at each other to come out on top.

This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here

[Further reading: Of course police could find Morgan McSweeney’s phone]