Reform UK's Ann Widdecombe has called for an inquiry after an aspiring marine was murdered by an asylum seeker.
This comes as it was revealed that Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai, who claimed to be a 14-year-old fleeing the Taliban but was actually a 19-year-old man, fatally stabbed Tom Roberts, 21, after a litany of state failures.
Rachael Griffin, the senior coroner for Dorset, ruled on Wednesday that a full inquest into Robert’s death was not necessary because there were "individual errors" rather than a "systemic failure".
Speaking to GB News Ann Widdecombe said: "Well, my take on this and the stance of Reform UK is that there should indeed be an inquiry.
Reform is calling for an inquiry
GB News
"This is not even just about the sheer horror that is confronting an individual family, there is an enormous national interest in the various issues that have been raised here. Now, sadly, it comes as no surprise to me to know that this man was allowed to pose as a 14-year-old because that has been going on for years.
She added: "I was an MP for Kent and there was a lot of the immigration coming in through Dover.
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"The late Sandy Bruce Lockhart, who was then the chairman of Kent County Council, had been down to observe the operation.
"This is in the 1990s, for heaven's sake. He said that two people who got through by claiming to be children, he was watching it, and they were quite visibly pensioners or approaching that.
"There is just no system for saying no at the point of entry. For saying you don't come any further, you go back on the ferry that you came on. There's just no way of doing that.
"The programme has been criticised for a long time. They missed completely the dangers being posed by the terrorist who killed David Amos MP.
Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai claimed to be a 14-year-old fleeing the Taliban when he arrived by ferry to Poole, but he was actually 19PA"We've got the whole business of people pretending to be children when they're not and of course the abysmal failure to establish this person's identity."
She explained: "There is just so much that is wrong that an inquiry isn't just necessary.
"It is essential. And the Home Office doesn't want it."
Family members of Roberts have told this broadcaster that the coroner is preventing the real extent of the failures being let out into the public.
Ann said that "an inquiry isn't just necessary. It is essential."
GB News
Peter Wallace, Robert’s step-father, told GB News that the inquest was being blocked because it would show a "catalogue" of failings.
"I find this so unbelievable. We’ve waited over a year, it’s been postponed twice now and now they’ve cancelled."
Wallace added: "It’s because they have failed in so many ways, they don’t want to hold an inquest because it will show the catalogue of failings that they are responsible for.
"They’ll just sweep it under the rug so no one is made aware."
