We have failed on migration but Labour would be infinitely worse – my drastic plan would fix the problem, says Jenrick
BRITAIN’S handling of immigration over the past three decades is a “disgrace” and the Tories must share the blame, Robert Jenrick blasted tonight.
The former Home Office minister – who quit last December over Rishi Sunak‘s refusal to go harder on Rwanda – admitted the government had failed to get a grip for the last 14 years.
His plan to tackle the problem would see illegal migrants detained immediately and placed in “rudimentary” disused military bases – instead of hotels – before “thousands” are sent to Rwanda.
He said illegal migrants would processed “in hours” – rather than the weeks or months it otherwise could take.
And he told The Sun’s Never Mind the Ballots that an incoming Labour government would make things far worse.
You can watch the show in full on thesun.co.uk and The Sun’s YouTube channel.
In a fiery intervention, he told Never Mind the Ballots:
- THE ECHR is beyond reform and Britain must quit
- BRITAIN’S aid budget must be diverted to Defence to hit the 2.5 GDP target now
- DONALD Trump should be the next US President
- TORY rebels must let Rishi Sunak fight the next election but he did not rule out a tilt at the Tory leadership one day
- THAT he wished he had voted for Brexit – but those that did have been betrayed
Mr Jenrick, 42, said: “We need a deterrent.
“We’re living in an age of mass migration, thousands of people are crossing the channel, it’s costing millions a day.
“We need to fix it, people are yearning for us to do that. But I don’t think this policy works, that’s why reluctantly I resigned as immigration minister at the end of last year.
“There is a better way to do this but it is a more robust policy than the government has unfortunately settled on.
“I put forward amendments to improve the bill so people could be detained on arrival and processed in hours – not weeks and months – and they would be removed to Rwanda.
“The government chose not to accept those amendments and has proceeded with its bill – I hope it succeeds. But I don’t think a small number of symbolic flights is a deterrent.
“We need hundreds if not thousands of people being sent to Rwanda.
“The key thing is people would be detained immediately.
“What the government seems to have settled on is people staying in this country for a very long time. I don’t think this will work which is why I resigned.
“But I hope this succeeds because this is an issue that is so important to the British public.”
And the aspiring Tory leader slammed leaders from all parties for letting the public down and failing to take advantage of Brexit freedoms.
His damning intervention came as he was quizzed on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show over the failure to grapple with legal and illegal migration.
He admitted “we have failed to deliver on the promise that we made to the British public” however insisted there was time yet to take a tougher line.
“People will doubt our credibility and sincerity, but we have time to make further changes”, he said, adding; “Members of the public also need to see what the alternative is, and the alternative will be a disaster.”
However he said Rishi Sunak could yet use Brexit to get control of who comes in and out of Britain.
“We have to share some responsibility but we have done the great reform which is leaving the European Union, giving us control of the leavers” he said. “Lets use them now to control immigration.”
“As a result of leaving the EU we could no make changes tomorrow that would bring” levels of legal immigration down.
But so far Downing Street have declined to take a harder line – with Mr Jenrick pleading with his old boss to get tough.
Robert Jenrick answers YOUR questions
ROBERT Jenrick opened about his holiday to Rwanda with Suella Braverman and the reason behind his sensational glow up.
The former immigration minister also confessed he has steered away from illegal drugs his entire life and that he would back Donald Trump‘s return to the White House.
The revelations were made as he candidly answered quick fire questions from Sun readers on our new show Never Mind The Ballots.
Mr Jenrick quit his job in Government last year, citing “strong disagreements” over the Rwanda deportation policy for illegal migrants.
He believed the Rwanda Bill – which attempts to overcome the Supreme Court block – did not “go far enough”.
Asked if he would take his family on holiday to Rwanda, Mr Jenrick said: “Yes. I’ve been on holiday to Rwanda, I went with Suella Braverman twenty years ago.
“It’s a great country and I have complete confidence that it’s safe. It is one of the most dynamic countries in Africa.”
Once a Remainer, he said he would vote for Brexit if he could today, adding: “We are in a far better place being in complete control of our borders.”
Asked what is behind his physical transformation, Mr Jenrick said: “It turns out if you eat less and do more exercise you look trimmer.”
A new trendy haircut in the style of Roman Emperor Julius Caesar late last year sparked rumours the Tory MP was harbouring leadership ambitions.
To the question Trump or Biden, Mr Jenrick simply replied with “Trump”.
The Newark MP also tackled the unflattering nickname “Robert Generic” reportedly bestowed upon him a decade ago.
He said: “I don’t think that was fair back then. I certainly don’t think it is far today. Not many people resign on a matter of principle from Cabinet.
“People can see there are issues whether it’s housing, immigration, ensuring Net Zero is approached in a far less zealous manner than we are doing today where I am trying to make big arguments.”
Mr Jenrick also pointed the finger at former Prime Ministers going back to Tony Blair and John Major branding the lack of border control a “disgrace”.
He said: “I’m talking about politicians throughout the whole last 30 years of parties of all political stripes.
“The public have consistently voted for most of my adult life for controlled and reduced migration, whether that be legal or illegal.
PUBLIC ‘LET DOWN’
“I think politicians and parties have let the public down. I think that has been a disgrace.
“It’s led to a whole host of serious issues for our country. On the legal front it’s damaged our economy, it’s fuelled the housing crisis, it’s made our country less cohesive and united.
Trevor Kavanagh takes on Jenrick over immigration
By TREVOR KAVANAGH, ex Political Editor
David Cameron promised to reduce immigration to the tens of thousands.
It was at that time a quarter of a million. It was last year while you [Robert Jenrick were immigration minister, 1.2million.
You allowed 1.2million in.
We know the problems of illegal immigration coming across the channel is hugely annoying but what really frustrates our readers and viewers is the fact that 1.2million people are taking their jobs.
We’ve got 9million people in some form of unemployment in this country.
“I’m not prepared to be another politician who goes along with that, I want to take decisive steps that are necessary to control our borders and reduce significantly the number of people coming.”
He also said he was “open to the arguments for ID cards” in a bid to clampdown on illegal work, but warned: “I don’t think it would be decisive.
“When you speak to counterparts in Europe like the French, for example, they say it is one of the reasons why people are able to come here, access the NHS work illegally. So I think there are arguments.”
Mr Jenrick was Home Office Minister until December last year but quit as he felt the government’s flagship plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda wasn’t tough enough.
ECHR BEYOND REDEMPTION
He also told the show that the European Court of Human Rights is beyond redemption and Ministers must ditch the Strasbourg rules.
Despite voting AGAINST the legislation, he still wants planes to be sent to the East African nation.
He said: “I do want the planes to go. I think the Rwanda policy is an incredibly important one.
“We need a deterrent. We’re living in an age of mass migration, thousands of people are crossing the channel, it’s costing millions a day.
“We need to fix it, people are yearning for us to do that. But I don’t think this policy works, that’s why reluctantly I resigned as immigration minister at the end of last year.
“There is a better way to do this but it is a more robust policy than the government has unfortunately settled on.”
JENRICK SLAMS BRITAIN'S 'BREXIT BETRAYAL'
By RYAN SABEY, Deputy Political Editor
THE BRITISH people are suffering a “Brexit betrayal” since the country voted to leave the EU, Robert Jenrick says.
The ex-Cabinet Minister reveals he now regrets voting for Remain ahead of the 2016 referendum due to a lack of control over migration.
The former Housing Secretary told of his anguish at voting to stay in the bloc as he was quizzed on The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots show.
When asked if he regretted his voting decision, he said: “I do. I would vote to leave the EU if I were to vote today because of things I’ve seen on migration.
“We are in a far better place being in complete control of our borders.”
Mr Jenrick ended up quitting Rishi Sunak’s government back in December as he feared the Rwanda legislation doesn’t give the government the best chance of success.
He said the plan to send flights to Kigali was a “triumph of hope over experience” insisting that stronger protections against legal challenges were needed.
The former Home Office Minister said since leaving the bloc, it was the first time for decades that the government has control of migration.
He said: “By leaving the EU we gained control of the levers of migration for the first time in my lifetime.
“But we’ve made all the wrong decisions. We’ve betrayed Brexit, the points-based system that was created was not points-based at all.
“It was one of the worst policy decisions of the 21st century. We’ve got to change that. The good news is that we can.
“There are things that Parliament could do tomorrow that would reduce the number of people coming into this country very significantly.”
But Mr Jenrick, who many are tipping to be in prime position for a leadership push after the election, says a small number of “symbolic” flights won’t be a deterrent.
He added: “We need hundreds if not thousands of people being sent to Rwanda. The key thing is that people would be detained immediately on arrival.”
Sir Keir Starmer has said he is prepared to look at “offshoring” migrant claims but has dismissed keeping on the Rwanda scheme – even if it’s working.
When asked if he would team up with the Opposition, he said: “Of course not. Whatever disagreements I may have with the PM, what the Labour party would do is abandon the Rwanda policy even if it is working and having the deterrent effect.
“That is what Keir Starmer himself has said. What we can be certain of is that if there was a Labour government this policy would be far worse.
“Starmer wants to go to Europe and negotiate a migrant deal with them like the migrant pact the EU have just signed.
“That would mean us taking tens of thousands of illegal migrants into the country and make this problem infinitely worse.”