Zia Yusuf silenced Green Party leader Zack Polanski after the lefty politician made the bizarre claim that Nigel Farage was responsible for mass immigration into Britain. The clash came as politicians took to Question Time to debate Robert Jenrick’s observations about integration in ethnic minority parts of Birmingham.
Asked if Mr Jenrick had been right to talk about seeing ‘no white faces’ in the Handsworth area of Britain’s second city, Mr Yusuf agreed there is a crucial debate to be had about integration. However he quickly turned fire on Mr Jenrick’s own responsibility for Tory failures on immigration, adding: “I think Robert Jenrick is not necessarily the best exponent of those concerns given he served in the Tory government as immigration minister when 6.5 million net new people were shipped in over 14 years of their government against the wishes of the British people.”
He hit back at one left-wing audience member who challenged him not to talk about immigration during the programme, insisting he would “talk about immigration, because according to the latest YouGov poll it is the number one issue for ordinary British people.”
Responding to the YouGov poll, Green leader Zack Polanski claimed: “Do you ever think it’s the number one problem because you spend a lot of time spreading misinformation and fear?”
Mr Yusuf furiously hit back: “You just accused me of spreading misinformation, please tell me and the public watching at home what is it I’ve said?”
Mr Polanski, who is best know for claiming he could increase the size of women’s breasts with the power of his mind, insisted that the lack of hospital beds and other public services was not due to mass immigration but a lack of funding.
“You can’t blame austerity on one hand, but then claim it’s the immigrants. The immigrants haven’t caused austerity, the same Thatcherite policies that you and your party support – and the Conservatives – are what have caused the devastation in this country and you should claim responsibility for that to.”
Asked if he genuinely believes 11 million new people entering the country in 14 years against the wishes of the British people hasn’t put pressure on public services, Mr Polanski dodged the question.
The Green leader answered: “We were told Brexit would bring down mass immigration and actually what it’s done has brought up immigration… so that’s a mess Nigel Farage started when he gave misinformation.”
Mr Yusuf immediately shot back: “I don’t believe Nigel Farage was in government for those 14 years!”
“He was not in government I’m afraid.”
Mr Polanski appeared defeated on this point, meekly replying: “Okay.”
