RISHI Sunak has been told his plan to deport asylum seekers is “straight out of the cruel and callous right-wing extremist playbook” as he faces the prospect of further rebellion from his backbenchers on the Rwanda bill.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn asked the Sunak if we “seriously” wanted the controversial scheme “to be his legacy”.
Flynn said: “When it comes to the Rwanda bill, the reality is that if you want to stop the smuggler gangs, you should introduce safe and legal routes. But instead, the Prime Minister’s seeking to weaponise some of the the most vulnerable people in society. It is straight out of the cruel and callous right-wing extremist [playbook].
“His time in office is fast approaching its conclusion. Does he seriously want this to be his legacy?"
NEW: “They find a UK Government which is tearing itself apart over how quickly it can send vulnerable people on a plane to Rwanda”
— The National (@ScotNational) January 17, 2024
Stephen Flynn asks Rishi Sunak if he understands the anger the public feel towards the Conservative Party during PMQs pic.twitter.com/JGq8Jn0ZWR
Sunak insisted that his scheme was the “fair and compassionate” thing to do, arguing it would stop smuggling gangs who take people on the perilous crossing over the Channel in small boats.
But he would not be drawn on Flynn’s calls for the Government to introduce “safe and legal routes” which the SNP argue force people into making the dangerous journey.
Sunak said: “It is important that we stop the boats, because illegal migration is simply not fair… It’s not right that some people jump the queue, that they take away our resources to help those who are the most […] that need our most help.
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak told off by Speaker after prop stunt at PMQs
“And, by the way Mr Speaker, are exploited by gangs and many of them lose their lives making these dangerous crossings. So I completely disagree with [Flynn], the fair and the compassionate thing to do is to break these criminal gangs and that’s why we’re going to stop the boats.”
The exchange came before the Prime Minister faces another vote on the bill, which will be debated by MPs later on Wednesday.
Rebel Tory MPs have failed so far in their attempts to toughen up the bill, including bids to have it include sections to ignore international courts and human rights laws.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer grilled the PM at length on the 4250 asylum seekers, earmarked for deportation to Rwanda, who have gone missing.
“Spending £400 million on a plan not to get anybody to Rwanda whilst losing 4,000 people is not a plan, it’s a farce,” said Starmer.
“Only this Government can waste hundreds of millions of pounds on a removals policy that doesn’t remove anyone.
“Only this Government could claim that it’s going to get flights off the ground only to discover they couldn’t find a plane. Only this Government could sign a removal deal with Rwanda only to end up taking people from Rwanda to here.
“But he still he hasn’t answered the question. So I’ll try again: what progress has he made in locating the 4,250 people his Government has apparently lost? He’s dodged it three times, where are they?”
Sunak defended the Government’s record on immigration before adding: “It’s a bit rich to hear him in here pretending that he cares about how we actually stop the boats when he’s been crystal clear and said that even if the plan is working to reduce the numbers, he would still scrap it.
“It’s because he has no values, no conviction and no plan, and it’s back to square one.”
Sunak countered Labour’s attacks by pointing out that Starmer had once given legal advice to the recently proscribed group Hizb ut-Tahrir.
He said: “Just this week we had another example of him doing one thing, saying another, because this week he backed the Home Secretary in banning the terrorist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, despite him personally using the European Court of Human Rights to try and stop them being banned.”
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