Tory MP Lee Anderson’s ‘f*** off again to France’ remark reveals authorities attempting to distract from failings, says Labour’s Yvette Cooper

Aug 10, 2023 at 12:48 PM

Labour has accused the federal government of ramping up divisive rhetoric to distract from failures on immigration after it backed Lee Anderson’s “f*** off back to France” remark.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow house secretary, instructed Sky News the remarks had been “clearly wrong” and that as a substitute of selling division, ministers “should be getting on with sorting the problems out”.

Tory deputy chairman Mr Anderson made the remark about asylum seekers after it emerged about 20 of them were granted a last-minute reprieve from boarding the Bibby Stockholm accommodation vessel on Monday.

His use of the F-word has been backed by Downing Street and several other senior Tories, who stated he was expressing the frustration of the British public.

Asked if that’s an applicable section for a politician to make use of, Ms Cooper stated: “No, it’s clearly wrong. And this is ramping the rhetoric to distract from the fact that the government is failing.

“Instead of selling division, what they need to be doing is getting on with sorting the issues out. Rishi Sunak’s plan is simply not working.”

Ms Cooper said despite repeated pledges from the government to “cease the boats”, the number of Channel crossings in June and July this year were higher than last summer and there are also 10,000 more people in hotels.

Citing Labour’s plan – which includes scrapping the Rwanda deportation scheme and funding a cross-border police unit – Ms Cooper said: “What we have to do is go correctly after the legal gangs which might be making big quantities of cash from the damaging boat crossings and likewise clear the asylum backlog.

“That’s what Labour would do. We’ve set out a new fast track system to do that so we can end hotel use, the barges, the [military] bases, all of that and get back to a proper functioning system.”

Labour has been in search of to hammer the federal government on immigration failures – significantly the backlog within the asylum system – amid accusations from Tory MPs that “leftie lawyers” linked to Labour are sabotaging the federal government’s small boats plan.

On Tuesday, shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh instructed Sky News it was “nothing short of risible” to counsel an opposition get together that has been out of energy for 13 years may be blamed for the present issues.

On Monday, just 15 migrants entered the Bibby Stockholm following authorized challenges to cease others shifting on to it.

The floating lodging off the Dorset coast is one among a number of websites getting used to cut back reliance on costly lodges – however transferring migrants to the vessel has been mired in problem and delays amid security issues and native opposition.

The barge will in the end home 500 single males – however that’s lower than 1% of the 170,000 individuals ready for his or her claims to be processed and Labour says it’s at present getting used along with lodges, not as a substitute of.

Mr Anderson admitted on Tuesday the government had “failed” on immigration as he stood by his comments.

He stated his use of the F-word was “born out of frustration” at these objecting to go on to the barge, and he wouldn’t be apologising.

But requested if the Conservative authorities had didn’t sort out unlawful immigration successfully, Mr Anderson instructed GB News: “We have failed on this, there’s no doubt about it.”

Lee Anderson was by no means going to be a secure rent

Lee Anderson was by no means going to be a secure rent when Rishi Sunak appointed him deputy chairman.

Notoriously outspoken and by no means afraid to make his views recognized, Mr Anderson’s enchantment – Number 10 believes – is he can reduce by way of within the pink wall and converse to a sure kind of voter the get together wants on the subsequent election.

The threat: that he trashes the federal government’s file reside on air, as we noticed final night time. The deputy get together chairman stated there may be “no doubt” the federal government had failed on unlawful migration. That isn’t the get together line.

This morning immigration minister Robert Jenrick responded: “I don’t agree.”

It is fairly extraordinary {that a} member of Rishi Sunak’s high workforce can publicly say authorities coverage is failing, in the course of so referred to as “Immigration Week”, with out going through any repercussions. Does this set a harmful precedent for different senior Conservatives talking out of flip?

Earlier within the day got here one other daring assertion from Mr Anderson, when he stated those that do not wish to board the barge ought to “F*** off back to France”.

It isn’t language we’re used to listening to from a politician, however extremely the federal government on Tuesday appeared to face by the deputy chairman’s feedback.

That is as a result of they consider he’s chopping by way of with voters that matter, and safer contained in the tent than exterior.

UK ‘has most complete plan in Europe’

However, immigration minister Robert Jenrick stated he didn’t agree with these remarks – at the same time as he backed Mr Anderson’s “f*** off” remark.

He instructed Sky News: “Lee was expressing was the deep frustration of the British public, not just the numbers of people crossing the Channel, but the apparent refusal of some people to accept perfectly decent accommodation.”

However, requested if Mr Anderson was talking for the general public when he claimed the federal government’s coverage was failing, Mr Jenrick stated: “I don’t agree with that.”

He stated a returns settlement with Albania had led to a 90% drop in individuals coming from the southern European nation, whereas offers with France have helped intercept migrants on seashores and a new partnership with Turkey has just been announced to crack down on people smuggling gangs.

“And so on each and every front, we are working intensively,” he stated. “And I genuinely believe that the UK has the most comprehensive plan of any European country to tackle this issue. “