Home Office minister Alex Norris could not say how many smuggling gangs Labour has “smashed” when asked on Sky News this morning. If even they have no idea…
Pressed by Sophy Ridge, Norris said:
“Well, I don’t think any public policy is is is easier than the press release. Of course, it’s not. We’ve made 4,000 interventions against organized crime since we took office. Well, this is a process that we will deliver over this parliamentary term. I know your viewers, as you do, as I do, want to see those channel crossings reduced.”
Meanwhile, Starmer’s ‘one in, one out’ scheme with France has so far managed to bring in more migrants to the UK than it has deported. Everything is fine…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”