Nigel Farage says Britain is set for new Brexit over major Tory failure

Farage said while the Government is toughening its tone on illegal migrants, their lack of ambition to leave the ECHR suggests they are not as firm on the issue as they are suggesting.

He told Patrick Christys on GB News: “Whether it’s through genuine sincerity or electoral pressure, the Government has realised over the past year that this issue could cost them the Red Wall.

“They’ve toughened up the rhetoric, they’re toughening up the legislation. But at the same time, Concerns get raised over the lack of compatibility with the principles enshrined within the ECHR.

“Suella Braverman basically admits that it isn’t compatible. She does it very gently. Rishi Sunak also admits that there are no circumstances in which we will leave the ECHR.

“My guess is, the game they’re playing is to tell the British public, ‘we think the same as 70 per cent of you, but these horrible foreign judges are stopping us making our own decisions’.

“This is Brexit times two. The same arguments as EU members, ‘we tried our best, but Brussels didn’t let us’.

“What will happen is, this will fail completely and they won’t stop the boats. They will up the ante on the rhetoric, and they will fight the next election on the ECHR issue.”

The bill, which MPs are preparing to vote on tonight, will see temporary protection against removal from the UK which is given to suspected victims of modern slavery or human trafficking removed for those judged to have entered the UK illegally.

It contains an exception for people co-operating with a criminal investigation, but Government amendment 95 adds it is not necessary for a person to be present in the UK to co-operate with such proceedings unless there are judged to be “compelling circumstances”.

Ex-Prime Minister Theresa May has criticised the move, saying she has held talks with the Government raising her concerns.

She described an amendment tabled by ministers as a “slap in the face” for those who care about the victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

May said of amendment 95: “Far from making the Bill provisions better for the victims of modern slavery, (it) makes it worse.

“I believe (immigration minister Robert Jenrick) was talking to me in good faith but I have to say it’s hard to see this Government amendment 95 as an example of good faith – I’d say rather it’s a slap in the face of those of us who actually care about the victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.”

Farage spoke on the rhetoric put forward by the Government over illegal migrants after Braverman said their values are often “at odds with our own”.

He said on GB News: “I’m delighted that the language has moved on and we have a Home Secretary willing to say it how it is.

“On criminality, it’s there on TikTok, you can actually see the gangs showing individuals coming into the country and joining drug gangs.

“The criminal gangs bring them in and many of them join criminal networks once they’re here. It’s not everybody, no one is saying that.”

Robert Jenrick earlier said amending parts of the Bill to create exemptions could “lead to abuse of our modern slavery protections”.

The immigration minister added: “I understand, of course, (Sir Iain, Mrs May) and others in the preparation of their amendments have thought in particular about how we can prevent individuals who have been in the UK for a sustained period of time from being exploited by human traffickers, or if they are already being (exploited), from being deterred from escaping that modern slavery or raising concerns with civil society or law enforcement bodies.

“Those are serious issues and ones that I want to take forward with them, listening to their unrivalled expertise through the passage of the Bill and seeing if there are ways in which we can address and assuage their concerns.

“It’s for this reason that we will look at what more we can do to provide additional protections to individuals who suffered exploitation in the UK.”