Migration Watch Director brands Labour's approach to immigration 'completely wrong' - 'Rwanda was a deterrent!'

Speaking to GB News, he said: "If Labour wanted to abolish this, then they needed an alternative plan in place, but they don't have one.

"Their plan is basically to fast track deportations to safe countries, countries deemed safe by the human rights authorities.

"I'm completely supportive of that. But the vast majority of these people are fleeing from unsafe countries.

"And even if their asylum applications are rejected, you can't actually deport them. So the Labour Party's approach is, is completely wrong."

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The expert also pointed out the irony of the proposal from Germany's migration commissioner, Joachim Stamp, who has said to send people who come to Germany illegally to Rwanda a scheme that was introduced in Britain by the previous Conservative Government and scrapped by Keir Starmer when Labour was elected.

He said: "It's quite ironic that Sir Keir Starmer wants a sort of transnational, pro-EU approach to the illegal migration problem.

"But Germany is now considering a Rwanda-type scheme. I mean, the thing about the Rwanda plan is it was flawed in certain ways.

"There were too many loopholes there and possibilities for appeal. However, it did have the potential to act as a deterrent.

"We saw this with illegal migrants trying to flee the UK to the Republic of Ireland. Ultimately Rwanda was the last chance saloon for the previous Governments."

The Labour Party scrapped the Rwanda scheme, just one day after coming to office announcing it "dead".

Starmer said the scheme has "always been dead and buried", adding: "I'm not prepared to continue with gimmicks that don't act as a deterrent".

Today Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says the Government is determined to go after criminal gangs that "undermine our borders".

She spoke after announcing the decision to scrap the RAF Scampton migrant accommodation plan.

Migrants were set to be housed in the former RAF base after the previous Government drew up the proposal.