Labour’s pre-election gloss is fading quick, writes DANIEL HANNAN

Life comes at you fast. Ten weeks ago, Sir Keir Starmer led his party to a historic majority, winning more than 400 seats.  Now, the two latest polls show Labour’s lead at just four per cent.

All Oppositions pretend that governing is easy; but Labour came to believe its own claim. Not only its young and idealistic base, but many of its MPs seem genuinely to have convinced themselves that Britain’s problems were caused by having Bad People in charge.

Replace those Bad People with Good People – compassionate types who cared about the poor – and all would be well.Immigration is where Labour’s pre-election conceits are collapsing fastest. 

Starmer had talked himself into thinking that the Rwanda scheme was both immoral and ineffective, and that he would find some humane alternative. He cancelled it on taking office, despite evidence that it was already serving as a deterrent, even before coming into effect.

No one, from first principles, would want to send asylum-seekers halfway around the world. Apart from anything else, it is expensive.

Starmer had talked himself into thinking that the Rwanda scheme was both immoral and ineffective, cancelling it despite evidence it was a serving as a deterrent, writes DANIEL HANNAN

Migrants gather to board a dinghy to cross the Channel in France. While sending asylum seekers halfway around the world is expensive, the logic to the policy still holds

Though some of the money would be recouped as fewer illegal migrants tried their luck at the Channel, the up-front costs are significant.

But the logic that led the last government to Rwanda still holds. If those without papers can’t be returned to their home countries, nor to the last safe country through which they have passed (usually France), then they have to go to a third country – such as, oh, I don’t know, Rwanda. 

The only alternative is to remain permanently in Britain, advertising to every other illicit migrant that this is the country to reach, because it won’t deport you.

The irony is that the rest of the EU is moving towards Rwanda-type schemes.

At a recent political summit, Labour MPs were shaken to find that not only German conservatives, but Social Democrats, too, were pressing them for details of how it would work.

The German government is reported to be looking into taking over the facilities in Rwanda that Britain paid to build.

Meanwhile, scratching around for alternatives and trying to show that he’s taking the problem seriously, Starmer named Martin Hewitt, the former chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, who oversaw the UK’s enforcement of lockdown laws during the Covid pandemic, as the commander of the border security command.

And yesterday he was in Italy, which has seen a 64 per cent reduction in illegal boat crossings so far this year under its no-nonsense prime minister Giorgia Meloni.

How did Meloni pull it off? Partly by picking a third country (Albania rather than Rwanda) to process asylum-seekers and partly by paying north-African countries like Libya and Tunisia to do more to stop migrant boats from leaving – a strategy in which Sir Keir had shown ‘great interest’, Ms Meloni said.

But the logic that led the last government to Rwanda still holds. If those without papers can’t be returned to their home countries or their last safe countries, than they have to go to a third country. Pictured: The Hope Hostel in Kigali ready to accept asylum seekers

All of which raises an interesting question. If Italy can return people to Libya, why can’t Britain return them to France – which is, after all, much safer than Libya?

Both Italy and France are largely under EU jurisdiction for purposes of migration and asylum policy, so how does Brusselsmanage to have it both ways, deporting its own illegal migrants, but refusing to take ours?

As the former director general of the border force, Tony Smith, puts it: ‘If Starmer is to learn anything from Meloni, it will be that the EU policy on maritime interventions is at best inconsistent, and at worst disingenuous.‘

The plain fact is that the EU should stop pretending that maritime interdiction and returns of UK-bound migrant boats to France is not an option.’

Since Starmer is plainly not going to challenge the EU, and since he has cancelled the only viable alternative – using a safe third country – we can reasonably assume that illegal migration will continue to rise.Legal migration, contrary to widespread belief, is currently falling, as the rules pushed through by James Cleverly under the Tory government on family reunifications and student visas take effect.

Government is not about meaning well. It is about making trade-offs, taking hard decisions.In its ten short weeks, Labour has made some decisions. It has decided to put up taxes and cut pensioners’ allowances in order to make large public-sector pay awards.

Germany’s government, led by Olaf Scholz is reported to be looking into taking over the facilities in Rwanda that Britain paid to build

It has decided to let convicts out of prison so as to make space for people who post nasty things online under its new laws on ‘hate speech’.

It has decided to advertise its compassion by scrapping the Rwanda scheme and declaring an effective amnesty for illegal migrants, and is now rushing about trying to findan alternative.

Oh, and Starmer, who made such a fuss about wallpaper during Boris Johnson’s time in Downing Street, decided to have his glasses and some of his wife’s dresses paid for by someone else.

It’s almost as if the real problems in this country are not caused by Bad People, but by short-termism, double standards, political cowardice and an unwillingness to make, as opposed to talking about, tough choices. Who’d have thought it?