Robert Jenrick was chastised for the Conservatives’ poor record on immigration in a tense exchange with a TV audience member. The shadow justice secretary, who served as an immigration minister in the last government, has been one of the most vocal critics of the Labour Government’s attempts to curb immigration.
This week, Jenrick has called for the Government to publish migrant crime data, but was confronted about his record in Government when discussing the matter in a GB News live event. One audience member interrupted him and shouted out “you had 14 years” before being given the microphone to make his point. He added: “I’m going to keep it simple. It’s all well and good you blaming everyone else.
“You were literally in Government, in Cabinet, it’s fine for you to sit here and spread the remit on everyone else.”
Whilst acknowledging the Conservatives’ failings in the area, Jenrick sought to defend his own record.
He responded: “I think the last Conservative Government made mistakes.
“You have to learn from them and make constructive proposals to make our country a better place.”
Jenrick then pivoted and turned his attention to the current Government’s performance which less than a fortnight ago, saw more than 1,000 people enter the country via a small boat in one day.
He added: “I am the Shadow Justice Secretary. My role is to hold this failing Labour Government to account.
“You’ve seen 1,000 people flood into our country on small boats today. Time and time again, Keir Starmer is making this place a worse place to live.”
The issue of immigration continues to dominate the political agenda, with a recent YouGov poll showing that 74% of people asked believed that the government is doing a poor job to control it.
An Ipsos poll conducted in April found that two in three Britons believe the total number of people entering the UK is too high, with 43% stating it is “much too high.”
This week, the Chancellor pledged in her spending review to end the use of hotels to house migrants awaiting process by the end of the parliament. Critics however have warned that to move asylum seekers from hotels to private accommodation could not only fail to solve the problem but exacerbate existing issues in other areas.
