Labour is ‘fundamentally misunderstanding’ public opinion on illegal immigration says Jacob Rees-Mogg

THE government is “fundamentally misunderstanding” public opinion on illegal migration, according to Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

On the Prime Minister’s pledge to close asylum hotels, he said on GB News: “Shabana Mahmood echoed a similar sentiment today, saying that illegal migration has been placing immense pressure on communities, and that is why we’re closing asylum hotels that are blighting communities.

“She says that Crowborough is just the start, adding that she will bring forward site after site until every asylum hotel is closed and returned to local communities. This shows exactly where the government is so fundamentally misunderstanding the problem and public opinion on this issue.

“Labour think that the British public are upset about asylum hotels. Specifically, they think that by moving migrants into former military sites such as those in Wethersfield, in Crowborough, and possibly now Inverness too, among others that are being considered, that the public will suddenly no longer worry about illegal immigration. But that’s just not the case.

“This is not to mention the extension of houses in multiple occupancy moving groups of illegal migrants out to towns and cities across the country. The great British public know that this entire system is an affront to their inherent sense of fairness.

“Illegal migrants are being rewarded for cutting the queue, breaking our laws and undermining the integrity of the country. What we want is not the closing of hotels, per se, but an end to illegal immigration. They want to stop the boats, and they want a redefinition of what a refugee is, because it’s currently ridiculous.

“As under the convention, we will always grant asylum to most of the people who come over in boats, they will then be here to stay. So Keir Starmer is being fanciful when he pretends he wants to remove those with no right to be here, because almost everyone who comes does end up with the right to be here unless we change our agreement on the convention.”

He added: “He’s got zero out of 10, because, as the central policy studies found, most people who get here will qualify for refugee status, because 780 million people in the world would notionally be able to do so on the 1951 convention. And this is crazy.

“Crowborough is a small community. What was the Home Secretary saying she wanted to protect communities? Yes, but what about Crowborough? That’s a community too.

“And the Army base, which used to train 6,000 Army and RAF cadets every year, as well as the police and fire training, will now simply have illegal immigrants in it. And if Crowborough is just the start, then it’s clear the British public and their views are being ignored.

“Stop the boats is what we need. Not stop the hotels. That’s the secondary issue.”