Conservative MP Jonathan Gullis suggested people arriving on small boats are ‘asylum shopping’ in an interview with Channel 4’s Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made tackling the problem of small boats carrying migrants across the English Channel one of his top priorities.
Rishi Sunak is “getting a grip” on illegal migration, allies claimed as critics warned he was putting forward “unworkable” plans which would leave thousands of migrants in limbo.
The Government is expected to set out plans on Tuesday which are expected to make asylum claims from those who travel to the UK on small boats inadmissible, with the migrants removed to a third country and banned from returning or claiming citizenship.
Details about how the policy will be implemented are scarce, with previous efforts to tighten procedures – such as the Rwanda policy – mired in legal challenges.
When Krishnan Guru-Murthy questioned Jonathan Gullis about these plans, he received a thorough schooling.
“Why is your Conservative government so useless at taking control of our borders?” Guru-Murthy inquired.
You can watch the exchange in full below:
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