By Jeremy Corbyn

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There are probably over seventy languages spoken in my constituency. Islington North is incredibly diverse, made up of people who have come from all over the world to make this place their home. Festivals are essential points of connection in our community. I have experienced so much joy at countless celebrations in Islington, including those for Christmas, Ramadan, Chanukah, Diwali and many more. Typically, however, it is the quiet and unremarkable acts of neighbourliness that matter the most. It is the hospitality and acts of kindness that sustain us all.

Strength in diversity has got our borough through its darkest times. In 2017, Makram Ali was murdered in a terrorist attack in Finsbury Park. I will never forget the sight of leaders of all faiths and local communities holding a commemorative event in Seven Sisters Road. They were determined to show that community and humanity are stronger than hatred.

Today, we need that determination more than ever. I am utterly appalled by Reform UK’s latest plans to abolish Indefinite Leave to Remain. This reprehensible threat is a chilling reminder of where this country is heading if we do not intervene, now. These are people who have built a life in this country. They are our neighbours. They are our colleagues. They are our friends.

This authoritarian threat did not come out of nowhere. It is Reform who are threatening to deport them, but it is Labour who threw them to the wolves. Labour could have made the case for a humane immigration system that treats refugees with dignity and respect. Instead, they have fanned the flames of racism. When you demonise migrants, the far-right listen. When you post video footage of detaining and deporting migrants, the far-right watch. When you speak of an ‘island of strangers’, the far-right mobilise.

Underneath the flames of racism are the ashes of a fairer society this Labour government refused to build. Today, 4.5 million children are living in poverty. Meanwhile, there are more billionaires than ever before. The great dividers want you to believe that the problems in our society are caused by minorities, migrants and refugees. They’re not. They’re caused by a rigged economic system that protects the interests of the super-rich.

Reform and Labour can wrap themselves in as many union jacks as they want. Unless their definition of patriotism can make space for empathy toward the poorest in our society, their commands of national pride should be taken for what they are: a total sham. Real patriotism isn’t about bashing minorities and migrants. It’s about caring enough to make this country a place where nobody is homeless, hungry or left behind. It’s about ending the rip-off of foreign private companies owning our public resources. It’s about building a society that cares for each other and cares for all.

For as long as I have been alive, people have been determined to build this kind of society. Over the past forty years, I have been struck by how willing people are to join campaigns to preserve our schools, green spaces and community hubs. In all instances, it is ordinary people standing side by side to protect the institutions that bind them together. Perhaps the most important was our fight to save the Whittington Hospital A&E. In 2010 we stood outside demanding that vital service stay open. Fourteen years later, during our election campaign in 2024, many of the same people stood shoulder to shoulder again to defend a fully public NHS.

These campaigns are the best education you could ask for. That is where you really learn about the effects of austerity and privatisation. That is where you learn that people of all backgrounds and ethnicities are fighting against the same injustice: an economy that concentrates wealth in the hands of the few.

We are at a critical juncture, and we need an alternative now. Your Party is prepared to tackle the real cause of our society’s problems: grotesque inequality. That means making the very wealthiest pay their fair share. That means ending the two-child benefit cap. That means ensuring people with disabilities can live a life of dignity just like anyone else. That means bringing our rail, mail, energy, water and health back into public hands. Putting wealth back in the hands of ordinary people: that is what it really means to fight for our nation’s soul.

Almost every day, I stop and chat to people who tell me something that is going on in our community. It might be something mundane about what they’re doing with their day. It might be a crisis they are facing. Or it might be something inspiring; an idea about how to come together to improve our society. Each time, I learn something new about the state of our world. Being an MP is a priceless education; often the wisest people you meet are sweeping our streets.

I am grateful to have learned so much from the people I represent. That includes people I may never meet again – people who take the time to stop me in the street, say hello, and share their vision for the future. The Prime Minister speaks of an island of strangers. He ignores the kindness of strangers, driven by a desire to help others in need. That, in the end, is what my country means to me.