Labour has been criticised for "elitist arrogance", after shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock claimed voters are "susceptible to gaslighting" over migration
Stephen Kinnock was accused of 'talking down' to voters after he said many of them were 'susceptible to gaslighting' over migration
Labour has been criticised for "elitist arrogance" after shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock claimed voters are "susceptible to gaslighting" over migration.
Speaking at an event on the fringes of the Labour Party Conference, Kinnock accused part of the British electorate of having "xenophobic" views on the topic.
But hitting back at the shadow immigration minister, Tory MP Jonathan Gullis told GB News: "Stephen Kinnock displays the same elitist arrogance.
"Like Brexit, he holds disdain for anyone who believes in strong borders, and explains why he and Labour are willing to cost up to the EU by joining a quota sharing scheme, and desperate to cancel the Rwanda policy, even if it works at deterring people, as Sir Keir Starmer said today."
MP for Bassetlaw Brendan Clarke-Smith agreed, accusing the Labour Party of "talking down" to people.
He told GB News: "If there is any gaslighting then it is coming from Labour, who seem to think the British public are mugs and now want to scrap our Rwanda scheme.
"Nobody is vilifying anybody and it’s wrong to conflate the legitimate concerns of the public about the pressure illegal migration is putting on local services with some sort of extremist ideology.
"We are acting on people’s priorities, not simply talking down to them."
Speaking at an event called "How can Labour challenge anti-migrant hatred", Kinnock accused far-right activists of "exploiting the concerns of local communities" to stir up anti-migrant hate.
He added: "The Conservative Government and the right-wing media has played a role in escalating far-right anti-migrant activity".
Kinnock also accused the Conservative Party of "vilifying migrants", dismissing the party's rhetoric as "utterly pathetic".
He continued: "We need to give reassurance to the electorate that we are a party that when in government will have an immigration and asylum system based on compassion and control.
"Some voters are susceptible to gaslighting. We have to ensure that that gaslighting is not effective."
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Kinnock said the Labour Party would seek to improve the UK's relationship with the EU in order to get a better returns deal.
He said the "Government's botched Brexit deal is one of the causes of the migrant crisis".
Stephen Kinnock told GB News: "This does not reflect my views. Of course it’s not xenophobic to be worried about small boat crossings or illegal immigration and that’s not what I intended to imply.
"People want an immigration system that’s controlled and managed, which is what Labour is proposing."
