Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth was grilled on his party’s plans to deal with the migrant crisis as GB News star Andrew Pierce questioned why Sir Keir Starmer opted not to pursue the Rwanda plan.
The policy, introduced by the Tories, would have seen illegal migrants who made the perilous trip across the Channel to reach the UK sent to Rwanda.
But Labour were always highly critical of the plan and scrapped it in one of their first acts.
“We’ve had hundreds of thousands since your lot came in”, said Andrew.
Andrew Pierce grilled Jonathan Ashworth
GB NEWS
“There was a Rwanda plan. I know you mocked it, but the first thing you did was scrap it.
“Couldn’t you have at least tried to see if it was a deterrent?”
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Ashworth hit back by branding it a “fiasco”, adding “more journalists went to Rwanda” than actual asylum seekers.
“It costs £700 million and only four volunteers went to Rwanda. More journalists went to Rwanda. It’s a serious problem but the idea you are going to fix it in four weeks when the previous Government couldn’t fix it in years…”
Andrew chimed in to re-ask: “Why didn’t you try Rwanda?”
“Rwanda was an expensive fiasco”, Ashworth said. “It’s not going to fix this. The way you fix this is by going after the criminal smugglers.
Labour's plan to 'smash the gangs'
GB NEWS
“You’ve got to enforce immigration law. Under the previous lot, it wasn’t enforced.
“I got criticised in the election campaign when I pointed out the Tories were leaving asylum claims people in limbo. Putting people up in hotels without processing their claims.
“The consequence of that is spending billions of pounds and leaving people with no status in this accommodation forever.
“What you need to do is process claims so people who come here can get on with their lives.”
Migrants aboard a small boatPALabour has been under pressure to reveal their plan to deal with the swathe of illegal migrants making their way across the Channel.
Sir Keir Starmer repeatedly pledged to “smash the gangs” in reference to the criminal smugglers helping facilitate migrants with their efforts to cross the Channel.
Ashworth, who lost his seat at the General Election, feels Starmer needs time to see this pledge through.