British home secretary describes migrant ‘invasion’ during stormy House of Commons appearance

Suella Braverman. Picture: House of Commons/PA

Suella Braverman claimed there is an “invasion” of England by migrants crossing the Channel, as she faced calls to quit during a stormy Commons appearance.

The British home secretary said around 40,000 people have arrived on the south coast of England in 2022, more than double the number of arrivals via the English Channel in 2021.

After questions about overcrowding, she said “several four-star hotels” are being used to house migrants and suggested the accommodation is “quite nice”.

Ms Braverman later agreed with suggestions from Conservative MP Lee Anderson (Ashfield) that some migrants can “get on a dinghy and go straight back to France” if they believe the accommodation in the UK is not good enough.

MPs were told £6.8 million a day is spent on hotel accommodation for migrants.

The remarks came during a House of Commons statement from Ms Braverman on overcrowding at the Manston migrant holding centre in Kent and an update on the Western Jet Foil incident, which saw theDover immigration centre firebombed.

Ms Braverman, responding to questions and criticism from Labour, recounted her apology for errors that led to her initial resignation as Home Secretary a fortnight ago.

The British home secretary, who was reappointed to the role just days later, added: “Let’s be clear about what is really going on here: the British people deserve to know which party is serious about stopping the invasion on our southern coast and which party is not.

“Some 40,000 people have arrived on the south coast this year alone. Many of them facilitated by criminal gangs, some of them actual members of criminal gangs.

“So let’s stop pretending that they are all refugees in distress. The whole country knows that is not true. It’s only the honourable members opposite who pretend otherwise.

(PA Graphics)

“We need to be straight with the public. The system is broken. Illegal migration is out of control and too many people are interested in playing political parlour games, covering up the truth than solving the problem.”

Labour MPs heckled Ms Braverman, shouting that the Conservatives are responsible for such a state of affairs.

Ms Braverman also told MPs she is “circumspect” of Albanian migrants claiming to be modern slavery victims.

Labour’s Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough) described Ms Braverman’s first spell as UK home secretary as “disastrous” and accused her of trying to defend “cruelty towards the most desperate of people”.

He added: “Doesn’t she need to take a look in the mirror to see who is a threat to national security and accept she’s totally unfit for the job?”

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper earlier said decision-making for cases of migrants has “collapsed” and raised allegations that Ms Braverman was warned by officials and other ministers that she was “acting outside the law by failing to provide alternative accommodation”.

The Labour MP also said 4,000 people are on the site at Manston designed to accommodate 1,600, adding: “Conditions have been described as inhumane with risks of fire, disorder and infection.

“There are confirmed diphtheria outbreaks, reports of scabies and MSRA outbreaks, also reports of outbreaks of violence and untrained staff.”