A fiery row broke out on GB News this morning in a tense debate over claims Rishi Sunak will grant thousands of work visas to India in order to secure a Brexit trade pact with the country.
New Culture Forum Direct Peter Whittle and commentator Nichi Hodgson joined presenters Martin Daubney and Ellie Costello on Britain’s Newsroom to share their thoughts on the deal.
Hodgson said: “Why shouldn't a talented person come here and train here? I mean, I say this, I'm married to an immigrant, my family are all immigrants. My daughter is half Indian.
“I don't understand what the problem is keeping people out if they're talented and they contribute to the economy like my husband did, he he grew and sold a multi-million pound business a few years ago and I don't see why I don't what the problem with that.
Whittle replied: “There's a lot of problems because this country is not just a landing strip and a country is not just a balance sheet, right. It's a culture and it's a nation, right.
“So when you're talking about immigration, by your logic, Nichi, that's fine that we had, what was it, 600,000 nets last year? Why not make it 700,000?”
Hodgson hit back, saying: “What's fundamentally wrong with having people of different colours, ethnicities, cultures in our country? But you just said that. You've just said you want to say Britain for the British people. There's no such thing as the British people.
“For hundreds of years we have been a mongrel nation made-up. We've been invaded multiple times. We've got a very wide ethnic mix and you're you're obsessed with keeping anyone who's brown out, is that what you're saying?”
Watch the debate in full above.
Tune in to Britain’s Newsroom, Monday to Friday from 9:30am, only on GB News.
