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  • 6/3/2025
Conservative MP Peter Bedford has launched a scathing attack on Labour's handling of the Channel migrant crisis - accusing the Government of making "excuses" rather than taking decisive action.The newly elected Conservative MP criticised Labour for scrapping the Rwanda deterrent scheme, which he claims has led to rising illegal boat crossings.READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Transcript
00:00the situation around the ongoing border chaos. It's all about the weather. Blame the weather.
00:05There's too much good weather. Watch this space in a minute. They'll probably be blaming climate
00:11change. We can't do anything about it. It's because of the weather. Well, there's always
00:15an excuse, isn't there? I mean, clearly the last government made some mistakes in this area,
00:19and I was elected as a Conservative MP. I'm a new Conservative MP, so I want to bring some new ideas
00:23to the table. That's why I'm signing up to Rupert Lowe's early day motion on this. There's always
00:28an excuse, isn't there? The weather, legal loopholes, the French, what else? We've got to sort this
00:34problem out. People in this country want real action on this crisis, and it is a crisis.
00:39And I'll be joined by Tony Smith in the next hour, the former Direct General of the UK Border Force.
00:46He's got some very good ideas how we can sort this, which seems pretty easy. Brings you back to the
00:51question, Peter Bedford, if it's not a case of there's a way, is there a will? Is there a will
00:57to clamp down? A lot of people are feeling the government are caught in the headlights with
01:01the Conservative Party. They were two parties on Brexit. A Remain camp, a Brexit camp. Is the
01:08simple fact of the matter? Half of the Labour Party know they've got to do something about this,
01:12or they are sunk. The Red Wall, the MPs there, they'll be done for. The other half actually probably
01:18welcome mass migration with open arms. Sir Keir Starmer, lest we forget, campaigned for mass
01:23movements of people, a campaign to cancel Brexit for three years. Is that the problem? The Labour
01:29Party is two parties on this issue. Well, you know, clearly the government is divided on this.
01:36The last Conservative government tried to bring in a deterrent here, the Rwanda Bill. One of the first
01:40things this government did was scrap that deterrent. And that is why we're seeing these illegal boat
01:45crossings rise week after week. You know, just at the weekend, we saw over a thousand cross in a single
01:50day, because there is no deterrent. And that is why I'm working with independent MPs like Rupert Lowe,
01:55with the DUP, with fellow Conservative colleagues to ensure that we've got robust action on this,
01:59because the British people are crying out for an end to this crisis.
02:03OK, so let's now focus on this motion that's been tabled, a mass deportation motion. 13 MPs have
02:13signed it, mostly Conservatives and a couple of Ulster Unionists. Tell me, what's motivated you
02:19to sign Rupert Lowe's motion? Well, it's quite clear to me and to my constituents and indeed the
02:25public at large, that this country has a problem with illegal migration. We have people coming to
02:29the country that have no right to be here. They shouldn't even be allowed into British waters,
02:34let alone allowed to land and stay here. So the British people are crying out for robust action
02:39and removing those that shouldn't even be here. It shouldn't even be a contentious issue, should
02:44it? They shouldn't be here. They're illegal to be here. Therefore, they should be removed. And that
02:48would be the ultimate deterrent to ensuring that we restore control over our borders once again.
02:53And I'm just looking at some data on this now. It's funny because a lot of people think this is a
02:58fringe issue. In actual fact, when you put it to the public, particularly around the deportation of
03:04foreign criminals, there's a pretty big rump of support for this notion. It's about 85% of the
03:10electorate now are considering this as a notion. Only a few months ago, perhaps, Mr. Bedford,
03:18this would have been considered a bit spicy for many. It would have been considered a bit far out
03:23there. Trump on steroids. Do you think the public mood is shifting? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this is
03:29common sense. Now, I've been calling for this before I was an MP, that we need more robust borders. We need
03:34greater action. I mean, I've asked in Parliament just recently, you know, the government need to
03:38keep all options on the table. What we've seen over the last number of years is institutions, the Home
03:44Office clearly isn't fit for purpose. The judiciary in this country are liberal, and they try to frustrate
03:50any attempts by government to deport those that shouldn't be here. So we need fundamental reform. And that
03:55could be in the case, in this situation, of coming out of the ECHR, or even legislating to remove
04:00ourselves from those international obligations on migration. Everything needs to be on the table as
04:05we try and get a handle of this crisis. And let's face it, logistically, this would be a goliath of a
04:14policy. Millions of people, millions and millions, if not billions of pounds, should be all sorts of red
04:22tape. As you said, the ECHR, the human rights lawyers will be licking their lips. So, and even Mr. Lowe admits in this
04:29motion, there's very little chance of this being passed into legislation, certainly in the term of
04:35this government. But it's not just about that, is it? It's about trying to send out a message, a message
04:40you believe that people have had enough. Absolutely. You know, a lot of times in Parliament, we use these
04:46motions, like early day motions, or adjournment debates, or Westminster Hall debates, to stimulate
04:50that debate, to get that public conversation going. So by Rupert raising this in early day motion,
04:55many of my Conservative colleagues, a lot of new sound, proper Conservatives elected at last
05:00election. People like myself, Bradley Thomas, Lewis Cocking, we are proper Conservatives. We want
05:05to deal with this issue, because we accept the last government made many mistakes on. But we want to
05:09see the government taking the action that is necessary. And all options need to be on the table
05:14as we address that. What would you say to the inevitable criticism, Mr. Bedford, that this
05:19is racist, this rounding up of millions of people and sending them back to where they came from,
05:25feels very right wing, far right, no doubt they will throw that badge at you. Have you thought
05:31about that? No, it's common sense. You know, it's quite easy in this day and age to band around the
05:37racism card, right? This is a matter of being legal and not illegal. The people that should not be here,
05:43they haven't come through the legal routes, they haven't got a visa, they haven't got a right to be
05:47here, shouldn't be here. At the end of the day, this is about upholding the rule of law. It isn't
05:51about race, it isn't about colour, it isn't about background, it's about what's legal and what isn't
05:54legal. And that's the approach I take. Peter Bedford, is there something going on here within
06:01the Conservative ranks? Quite clearly, as I alluded to before, two Conservative parties, certainly on
06:06Brexit, and yourself and the Conservative colleagues who've signed up to this motion are clearly moving
06:13towards that rump, moving down towards a Rupert Lowe position. Might this get you in trouble with
06:19Kemi Badenow? This is certainly not Conservative policy. Look, I was elected by the residents of
06:26Mid-Leicestershire and I was elected to represent them in Parliament. So my primary loyalty is the
06:30residents of Mid-Leicestershire. As you know, the Conservative party is currently going through a
06:34policy review phase. So we're looking at all options on policy review. And it's for people like me as a
06:39backbench Conservative MP and my colleagues to make the case for what policy we believe the Conservative
06:45party and the opposition should be adopting going forward. Now, I've clearly articulated my view
06:49today on your show quite clearly where I want the policy to go. And it's my job as a backbencher to
06:54persuade colleagues in my own party to adopt that position.

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