Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has defended the language used by Sir Keir Starmer in a speech to unveil plans to cut immigration.
The prime minister said on Monday the UK risked becoming an "an island of strangers" without stricter controls.
The phrase has led some Labour MPs to accuse him of divisive language – a claim rejected by Cooper.
She added the PM had been seeking to highlight the impact of rising migration in recent years and "support for integration," including English language tests.
She rejected a comparison made by a small number of Labour MPs, notably former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, to the language of Enoch Powell.
Downing Street also rejected the comparison and said the PM stands by his words and "the argument he was making that migrants make a massive contribution to our country, but migration needs to be controlled".
