Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has sparked a fresh migration row after pledging to “reset” ties with the EU at the annual European Political Community summit.
Addressing European leaders earlier today, the new British premier promised £84million for Africa and the Middle East in a bid to curb migration levels.
Outlining his plans to tackle the surge in small boat crossings to the UK, Starmer claimed the funding is a “vital part of gripping the migration crisis” and shows how the UK are “going to do business on the world stage”.
In his first few days as Prime Minister, the Labour leader also scrapped the controversial Rwanda plan to deport migrants, branding the scheme a “gimmick”.
Michelle Dewberry furiously shut down Tom Bewick for ‘applauding’ the scrapping of Rwanda
GB News
Debating the latest move by Starmer in his bid to bring down migration numbers, host Michelle Dewberry criticised the PM and claimed it was “absurd” to scrap the Rwanda plan, a deterrent that the Tories spent “an absolute small fortune on”.
Michelle fumed: “To scrap Rwanda on day one to me looked almost symbolic, like high five everyone, we’re different to the Tories.”
Calling out commentator Tom Bewick for his “applause” for Labour’s scrapping of the scheme, Michelle disagreed with him that the plans were a “fantasy strategy” for stopping the small boat crossings.
Pressing Bewick for his view on Rwanda, Michelle asked: “I just wonder when people applaud the scrapping of the Rwanda plan, how do you know it wouldn’t have been an effective deterrent?”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to ‘reset’ ties with the EU at a summit held at Blenheim Palace
PA
Bewick argued: “Because cross-Channel boats are up 12 per cent on last year, and when the legislation on Rwanda went through parliament, there was all the grandstanding by Sunak.”
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Michelle hit back at Bewick, stating that the law “hadn’t been enacted yet” to which he claimed that the Tories were “clutching at straws” with Rwanda.
He explained: “I remember talking about people going across to Ireland, that that was some sort of deterrent because of the Rwanda scheme. And they were all waiting for a Labour government.”
Michelle interjected Bewick, declaring: “That’s true. It’s true that people were choosing to go to Ireland and they were citing the Rwanda plans as a deterrent.
“So my question to you is, you’re all applauding the ripping up of this policy, which we’ve spent millions on – why didn’t we see it through? Why don’t we see what happens and then see whether or not it’s a deterrent?”
Tom Bewick claimed the Rwanda scheme was ‘not a deterrent’ for illegal migrants
GB News
Bewick defended the scrapping of Rwanda, fuming: “Well, this is all hypothetical now because we’ve had the election. That argument was had. The scheme has been and gone.
“It’s been scrapped because we had an election, that’s called democracy. What we’ve got now, Michelle, is this opportunity in part with things like this aid package to Africa.”
Michelle grilled Bewick again, asking: “You’re not answering my question. You’re just saying to me, the arguments lost, the decisions be made?”
Bewick responded: “You and I share the same objective, we want to see these boats as indeed, I think the majority of British people do, stop across the channel.”
Source Agencies
