Nigel Farage has warned that Britain is staring down the barrel of a major new national security crisis, as shocking new small boat crossing figures lay bare one shocking fact. Speaking on his GB News show this evening the Reform UK leader warned that illegal migrant crossings by Palestinians have skyrocketed in the past year.
He revealed that crossings are currently up a whopping 1000% this year, adding that we do not know if any of the young men entering Britain have links with Hamas. Amid questions about whether Donald Trump’s peace plan will succeed in irradiating Hamas and bringing peace to the Middle East, Mr Farage warned: “This is a security risk. The number of Palestinians crossing the English Channel is going up… you can see so far this year the numbers have gone through the roof.”
“You can add to that by looking at the sheer number of asylum claims in this country that have come from Palestinians, and you can also add to that the fact that the government are boasting about the number of Palestinian students that are coming into this country.
“Now I have no idea who the young Palestinian men are that are coming into this country on those boats or in the back of lorries, but I put it to you there could well be among their number Hamas-style operatives looking to get out before the IDF get them.
“This is a security risk.”
He branded the topic a “difficult debate”, but insisted certain types of crimes and offences are more prevalent among certain nationalities than others and the government should take account of this.
Asking a member of his panel, Mr Farage said: “I put it to you, if you were a Hamas operative and you thought ‘the IDF are going to hunt me down and take me out’, fleeing to England’s quite an attractive prospect.”
Earlier this month a left-wing Labour MP began pushing Keir Starmer to build on his move to recognise Palestinian statehood and let in thousands of refugees from Gaza.
Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova has written to the Prime Minister urging him to create a Ukraine-style visa scheme, which would allow Gaza’s to travel to Britain and reunite with family already in the country.
Ms Cordova, from the left of the party, has said that the move to recognise a Palestinian state was an “important measure” by Sir Keir.
However a Family Visa scheme “would be a practical next step that would help bring people to safety and help us – as a nation – live up to our highest values on the global stage.” Her letter to the PM cites the 65,419 deaths in Gaza and the destruction of critical infrastructure and the deaths of medics.
Dozens of MPs first issued the demand for a family visa scheme for Palestinians in June, with 67 backing the call to “reunite [Palestinians] with their loved ons in the UK until it is safe to return”.
“Just as the UK opened its doors to those fleeing persecution in Ukraine and Hong Kong, we believe that the same generosity should be extended to Palestinian families.”
It included signatories from MPs across the political parties, including Labour, the Greens, LibDems and SNP.