{"id":122035,"date":"2023-12-12T16:39:30","date_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/?p=122035"},"modified":"2023-12-12T16:39:30","modified_gmt":"2023-12-12T16:39:30","slug":"keir-starmer-accused-of-short-term-positioning-and-being-weak-on-immigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leviolonrouge.com\/politics\/keir-starmer-accused-of-short-term-positioning-and-being-weak-on-immigration\/","title":{"rendered":"Keir Starmer accused of short-term positioning and being weak on immigration"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The Labour leader said he would look at offshore processing, used by countries such as Australia, to tackle the migrant crisis.<\/p>\n

But during a speech to mark the fourth anniversary of the 2019 election he insisted \u201cstraight deportation schemes\u201d like Rishi Sunak\u2019s Rwanda policy will not work.<\/p>\n

Sir Keir said the Government\u2019s plan to deport migrants to Africa is \u201cbuilt on sand\u201d.<\/p>\n

Asked whether he would ever consider sending asylum seekers abroad, the Labour leader said he was open to the idea of offshore processing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Rwanda scheme\u2026is a straight deportation scheme in relation to people who have already arrived\u201d, he told reporters at Silverstone race track.<\/p>\n

\u201cOther countries around the world do have schemes where they divert people away for processing elsewhere. That\u2019s a different kind of scheme and I\u2019ll look at any scheme that might work.”<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m actually pretty clear in my own mind that unless \u2013 and until \u2013 we\u2019re more serious about smashing the gangs, trying to deal at the other end of the problem, when people are already here, is looking at it through the wrong end of the telescope.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government has lost control of the numbers \u2013 thousands and thousands of people coming and they\u2019re saying we might just very expensively send 100 people to Rwanda.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sir Keir said that Labour MPs would oppose the Rwanda legislation in last night\u2019s Commons vote because it goes \u201cagainst our values\u201d.<\/p>\n

He insisted that his plan to crack down on smuggling gangs and strike a returns agreement with the EU would deliver faster and cheaper results.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will oppose the scheme this evening for a number of reasons \u2013 it doesn\u2019t work, it will cost a fortune\u2026 and it is against our values\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat does not mean we don\u2019t recognise the challenge that there is of crossing on small boats across the Channel. We have to stop that. But stopping that means not gimmicks, but rolling our sleeves up with a practical plan that will actually work.\u201d<\/p>\n