Keir Starmer proves how unbelievably thick he is with new plan – needs to learn 1 lesson

Every time I go back up north to visit my hometown of Bolton, there’s one complaint I keep hearing from family and old friends — and it’s always the same. The town centre feels dead and lifeless.

Most of the high street shops are now closed or abandoned, and that makes everything feel depressing. What makes it worse is the contrast  just behind the centre, we have the beautiful Le Mans Crescent with its grand Victorian architecture and stunning old town hall built in 1873.

With its proud statues, lions, and even an elephant in the town’s coat of arms, it reminds us of a time when Bolton was a powerful part of the industrial revolution. But now, those proud buildings are surrounded by a crumbling, neglected shopping area, and it feels like watching history rot away in silence.

And it’s not just Bolton. This same story is playing out in towns and cities all across the UK. As more people shop online, the high street is being abandoned. While online shopping is convenient, it also means we’re losing something important — the simple, human experience of chatting with strangers, bumping into old friends, and feeling like part of a community. Many people complain about this loss, but the truth is, we’ve all played a part in letting it happen. Now, the question is: what will take the place of these dead high streets?

Well, under Keir Starmer and the current Labour leadership, there’s a new idea forming — one that many people might find shocking. Instead of trying to bring back life to our town centres for the communities who live there, the government seems to be turning empty shops into temporary housing for migrants.

It may sound like a joke, but it’s already happening. In Waterlooville, Hampshire, a former clothing store is being turned into accommodation for migrants — and the Home Office is already facing public protests because of it. If this “experiment” is seen as a success, we can expect the same thing to happen in other towns across Britain.

This kind of decision says a lot about how those in power view ordinary British people. Instead of investing in reviving our communities, they’re choosing to use our public spaces in ways that ignore the concerns of local residents. It feels like the government is prioritising people who enter the country illegally while pretending to work out what to do with them — all while local voices are ignored.

Keir Starmer, who likes to boast about being a smart lawyer, seems completely disconnected from the reality many people are living in. There’s already plenty of evidence that housing migrants in hotels has led to unrest, protests, and even reports of violence and sexual assaults. And yet, he still can’t seem to understand why turning abandoned shops into housing for migrants might spark even more backlash.

Sadly, this isn’t surprising. This is the same man who once said he’d cut benefits to save £5 billion — a move that risked angering the left wing of his own party — and then backed down when pressure came. In the end, he achieved nothing but making himself look weak and indecisive. No money was saved, and no one was impressed.

He also doesn’t seem to have any clue how to deal with the rise of Reform UK. Nigel Farage has been warning about the growing anger in the country, and many former Labour voters are now switching sides. Instead of trying to win those people back, Starmer has done nothing. He could’ve taken a stronger stance on social issues to reconnect with working-class voters in the North. But instead, he chose to double down on political correctness, accuse his critics of being “far right”, and avoid difficult conversations about migration — even refusing to support a national inquiry into the grooming and abuse of working-class girls until public pressure forced him to change course.

This hands-off approach has opened the door for Farage and Reform UK. They’ve managed to strike a clever balance — sounding economically left-wing enough to reassure Northern voters they’re not just another Thatcher-style party, while taking a firm stance on immigration that appeals to traditional working-class values.

Keir Starmer still has time to change course, but if his first year in power is anything to go by, he’ll keep making the same mistakes. He’ll keep siding with political correctness over common sense, and he’ll keep ignoring the people who used to trust Labour to stand up for them.

The sad truth is, the people paying the price for this are everyday taxpayers — spending millions to house migrants while watching their towns fall apart. And even if Starmer’s political career ends in failure, the damage left behind — to trust, to community, to the very idea of home — could take generations to repair.

British politicians need to remember something simple: this country isn’t a testing ground for social experiments. It’s home to real people, with real lives. Treat it that way.