Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson refuses to apologise for ‘return to France’ remark – however says authorities has did not deal with unlawful immigration
Lee Anderson has refused to apologise for saying asylum seekers who do not need to be housed on barges ought to “f*** off back to France”.
But the Conservative deputy chairman additionally stated there was “no doubt” the federal government had did not deal with unlawful immigration.
Tory MP Mr Anderson made the comment about asylum seekers after it emerged 20 of them were granted a last-minute reprieve from boarding the Bibby Stockholm lodging vessel on Monday.
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The charity Care4Calais stated their transfers from inns had been “cancelled” after legal professionals challenged the choice to maneuver them on to the barge.
Asked by Nigel Farage on his GB News present on Tuesday night whether or not he can be apologising for the phrases he used, Mr Anderson stated: “No.”
When requested by the previous Brexit campaigner if his use of the “F-word” was in unhealthy style, Mr Anderson replied: “No… it’s borne out of frustration.
“It’s borne out of me being completely livid. It’s not simply me that is being livid, it is my constituents and tens of millions of individuals up and down the nation.”
When asked if the Conservative government had failed to tackle illegal immigrant effectively, Mr Anderson said: “We have failed on this, there isn’t any doubt about it.
“We said we’re going to fix it, it is a failure. But we have got policies in place – I know it’s a bit hard for the British public at the moment to understand what we’re trying to do with the Rwanda flights, and the change in legislation, the Illegal Migration Bill.
A basic view of the Bibby Stockholm lodging barge which is ready to accommodate as much as 500 asylum seekers
“It seems very slow and cumbersome – we’re up against it, we’ve got the lefty lawyers, the human rights campaigners, we’ve got the charities, everything’s against us.
“I’m not making excuses, however it’s slowing us down. If we had the entire of parliament behind us I’m positive this is able to have gotten via by now.”
Mr Anderson added it makes him feel “sick” every time a boat carrying migrants crosses the channel and it makes him “livid” when asylum seekers are housed in hotels and on barges.
He said “I’ve been to Calais, I’ve seen these migrants dwelling in one-man tents, dwelling in absolute squalor.
“Then they get here, we do our best, we bend over backwards to put them in decent accommodation, and all of a sudden they get a choice.”
Mr Anderson stated “grafters” within the oil business who’re “doing a job for this great country of ours” stay on barges and “never complain once”.
He continued: “It makes me sick to the pit of my stomach when these lefty lawyers, the charities, the human rights campaigners, say it’s not good enough.
“If it is not adequate, [the asylum seekers] ought to return to France.”
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Mr Anderson had sparked controversy when he instructed Express.co.uk: “If they don’t like barges then they should f*** off back to France.”
He added: “I think people have just had enough.
“These folks come throughout the Channel in small boats… if they do not just like the situations they’re housed in right here then they need to return to France, or higher not come in any respect within the first place.”
Downing Street defended his use of the “f***” word when speaking about asylum seekers.
When asked if this view represented the government, Number 10 pointed to comments made by Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, who said the “indignation” of Mr Anderson was well placed.
“The justice secretary was talking on behalf of the federal government. That is the response,” the spokesperson instructed Sky News.