Starmer must not remain stumm on the importance of migrants to Britain | Letter

Jake Lynch says it is time for the prime minister to offer counter-arguments on asylum seekers as media outlets would be obliged to report them

Jane Martinson’s call for the UK media to adopt a new approach to reporting debates over asylum and immigration is welcome (A desperate, opportunist press and vicious politicians: no wonder the debate on refugees is so awful, 30 August). As a longtime advocate of such changes, and a former BBC newsreader, I can point to one very significant lacuna: the massive hole where counter‑arguments should be coming from ministers.

If Keir Starmer and his colleagues a) spoke about the importance of immigration to Britain’s economic and social wellbeing; b) pointed out that we actually receive and resettle fewer asylum seekers than peer countries such as Germany and France; c) praised the efforts of communities that welcome and integrate newcomers; and d) highlighted some of the success stories of immigrants or asylum seekers, media outlets such as the BBC would be obliged to cover it.