Fiona Bruce was forced to intervene in a heated debate between two panellists on BBC Question Time.
Journalist Peter Hitchens clashed with writer and environmental activist George Monbiot as they discussed whether the Rwanda policy will cost the Tories the next general election.
Mr Monbiot insisted the UK has a “crisis of governance” rather than a crisis over illegal immigration.
But Mr Hitchens argued that asylum seekers making the perilous journey across the Channel in rugger dinghies are coming from France which is a safe country.
The environmental activist said: “There are about 20,000 people coming over in small boats every year to the UK. The UK is one of the richest nations on Earth. If one of the richest nations on Earth can’t cope with 20,000 people in small boats every year.”
Ms Bruce jumped in to point out that nearer 40,000 people have arrived in Britain on small boats so far this year.
Mr Monbiot went on: “We don’t have a migration crisis, we have a crisis of governance.”
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer could be heard saying: “The facts don’t matter… You’re misleading people.”
Mr Hitchens asked the environmental activist: “Where are they coming from?”
He replied that they have been “fleeing countries from all over the world”.
Mr Hitchens pressed him: “But where do they get into the boats?”
Mr Monboit said: “They get onto the boats in France.”
Mr Hitchens then asked if France is a safe country before they began shouting over each other.
Ms Bruce then made an intervention to call for them to stop speaking at the same time.
She said: “Hang on, hang on. If you both talk at the same time. Wait a minute. Wait, wait, wait. If you both talk at the same time nobody can hear.”
Mr Hitchens then said: “I asked you a factual question and he answered it. France is not a country in which they suffer persecution or have any reason to fear persecution.
“Once they’ve reached France they’re not refugees and it really is time you stopped over-emotionalising this and making out it’s some sort of act of cruelty for one highly civilised country to refuse to take people who wish to enter from another highly civilised country illegally.
“If they want to come to this country they should come legally, they are already in a safe country.”
But Mr Monbiot hit back saying he did not “understand international law”.
