Toby Melville/PA
Here’s another gaffe to keep in mind ahead of election day. A senior aide to James Cleverly – and serving MP since 2019 – has been caught-out by a leaked recording, in which the Conservative politician brands the Rwanda deportation scheme as ‘crap’.
ALSO READ: No Rwanda deportations before General Election, government confirms
James Sunderland, who is the elected representative for constituents of Bracknell, walked closely alongside the Home Secretary following his appointment to the role last year. Mr. Cleverly, it has been reported, also had his doubts about Rwanda.
However, Sunderland’s disdain for the policy has been exposed in dramatic fashion. Over the weekend, a secret audio recording was made public. It starts with his own ominous premonition, when he asks if anyone ‘has their phones or cameras on’.
We can see why he was so worried…
“The policy is crap. Okay? It’s crap, but it is not about the policy. It’s about the effect of the policy, and its second or third-order effects. In Australia, for example, a similar policy ended up having a devastating effect [on immigration].”
“There is no doubt in my mind at all that, when those first deportation flights to Rwanda take off, it will send such a shockwave across the English Channel, that the criminal gangs will stop.” | James Sunderland
This latest fiasco ahead of polling day has put James Cleverly in a comically awkward position during the Sunday morning media rounds. Appearing on Sky News, the Cabinet minister did his best to play down the remarks.
He argued that Sunderland had put forward a ‘counter-intuitive statement’ in order to ‘grab the attention’ of his audience. Host Trevor Phillips then accused Cleverly of not backing the Rwanda scheme himself – but the top Tory denied these claims.
“Yvette Cooper has alleged I am against Rwanda. She has never given any indication of where or when I said this. No, I did not make such a statement. At times, I have felt that there is a focus on this, at the exclusion of everything else.”
“This is just meant to be a part of our toolkit of response systems. Dozens of people leave the country every week on deportation flights, all Labour are promising to do is create solutions that already exist.” | James Cleverly
