Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has refused to set a specific immigration cap despite stating that a number will be revealed in "due course."
The refusal on GB News this morning comes shortly after the People's Channel revealed that 2,000 small boat migrants have crossed the English Channel illegally in just over a week.
The latest arrivals take the number of migrants who have made the voyage since March 1 to 2,078.
The Shadow Home Secretary contrasted the Conservative approach with Reform UK, claiming they "just shoot from the hip and doesn't think things through".
The latest arrivals take the number of migrants who have made the voyage since Saturday 1 March to 2,078.
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He told GB News: “Well, we’re not going to shoot from the hip. We’re going to come up with a properly thought-out number in due course, well ahead of the time.”
Camilla argued: “You’ve had a long time to think of the number. You were in power for 14 years, and now you’ve been in opposition for six months. You must have a figure in your mind. What should immigration be capped at?”
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“We can all have a figure. I’m going to come up with one now and see whether it’s feasible. 100,000?”
Philp responded: “I’m not going to shoot from the hip and just pluck a number out of thin air. I’ve been Shadow Home Secretary for just 3 or 4 months, so I’m not going to just shoot from the hip. We are going to think this through properly.
“So it’s credible. We saw Reform as a party that just shoots from the hip and doesn’t think things through as well. At least it’s been clear in the last week that I’m not going to do that.
“These reforms are clear. It’s net-zero migration. It’s really clear. I’m going to think this through. By the way, that still implies about half a million people coming in each year, through proper channels. I’m not going to just shoot from the hip.”
“What I will tell you is that the number will be a lot, lot lower than it has been recently, and a lot, lot lower than recent forecasts.”
Camilla tried to interrupt, with the Tory MP saying: “Let me finish. We’re going to put down another amendment in Parliament, creating the legal mechanism for MPs to vote on what the legal cap should be every year.
"And again, we’ll see if Labour votes for that or not. So we’re going to create that legal mechanism for Parliament to decide. And then when the cap is met, the government would simply stop issuing new visas.
"That’s a proper legal mechanism that will have real teeth.”
Camilla Tominey demanded a number for the Conservative MP
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Camilla responded: “I think people might be suspicious because you won’t come out with the actual number. I appreciate you’ve been burned before.”
He said: “We’re going to be clear about what that number is. We’re going to explain in detail how that number will work in each different area: family visas, work visas, the NHS, all the rest of it.
"We’re working through that detail, but what I’m not going to do is shoot from the hip and just make up some number because it sounds good without having done the proper, serious work.”
Camilla said: “I don’t want it to be made up. You’ve had quite a lot of time to think of a number.”
