Nigel Farage hit back at the Archbishop of Canterbury over his latest Rwanda intervention.
Justin Welby criticised the deportation plan for “leading the nation down a damaging path” and claimed the nation can “do better”.
But Mr Farage said he does not hear the top cleric “offer any alternative whatsoever”.
Speaking on GB News, he said: “He talks about unity, I tell you what Archbishop, if there was a referendum on this there would be real unity because a very large majority would say that those that cross illegally shouldn’t be allowed to stay, they shouldn’t be coming by this route.
“He says we can do better and yet I don’t hear him offer any alternative whatsoever.
“In fact when I hear the Labour Party and others say we can do better than this, all they ever talk about is cracking down on the criminal gangs in northern France.
“But the problem is these people in a calm week in summer can make between two and three million euros per gang.
“It seems to me however tough you crack down when there are financial incentives as big as that they will continue to traffick people across the English Channel.”
Mr Farage added: “I don’t honestly think we will do better unless firstly we redefine this as a national security crisis and secondly in line with that we say that the European Convention on Human Rights is 70 years old, out of date, has changed its purpose and we no longer wish to be a part of it.
“Because I don’t see with that, even if this legislation does go through Parliament, British courts allowing deportations.”
Mr Welby was speaking as the Lords debated the Government’s Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill earlier today.
He said: “We can, as a nation, do better than this Bill. With this Bill the Government is continuing to seek good objectives in the wrong way, leading the nation down a damaging path.
“It is damaging for aslyum seekers in need of protection and safe and legal routes to be heard.
“It is damaging for this country’s reptuation which it contradicts even as late as last week where the Prime Minister spoke eloquently on the value and importance of international law for this country.
“It is damaging in respect of constitutional principles and the rule of law. And most of all it is damaging for our nation’s unity in a time when the greatest issues of war, peace, defence and security need us to be united.”
The draft legislation aims to get the plan to send Channel migrants on a one-way ticket to Kigali, which has so far been grounded by legal challenges, up and running.
