Despite the metropolitan pearl-clutching of the liberal commentariat and Labour Party, Suella Braverman remains firmly in line with the public’s view on immigration.
New polling out by YouGov further shores up the supposedly hard-line Home Secretary’s position, with the majority of those asked saying the level of immigration is now bad for Britain. For the first time since October 2020…
The public also has little time for the illegal migrants crossing the channel. 55% of those polled between 2nd-3rd November said they have a negative view of refugees crossing the English Channel, versus just 19% with a positive view.
That 19% seem to be vastly over-represented in the media…
Before the left accuses ordinary Brits of being racist, the country still remains positive towards legal migrants and those relocating from other countries to come and live with their families. The public are broadly split on whether asylum seekers coming to UK would be genuinely at risk in their home country, however, with 37% saying they wouldn’t to 36% saying they would.
In summary: Immigration is now the most important issue for 37% of the country, up 15 points since the end of October. Guido anticipates this will only get higher if the government doesn’t get a grip soon.
Meanwhile Suella remains Rishi’s best hope of articulating the no-nonsense views of the public, and Labour’s attack on competence doesn’t disguise the fact they are still vastly out of touch on the issue…
With Plaid Cymru spending the last few weeks reminding everyone of their pro-migration bona fides – claiming Wales should become a ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ and slamming the government’s visa policy – Guido thought it was worth checking their own record on asylum seekers to make sure they put their money where their mouth is. Given they’re supposedly “commit[ed] to easing the experience of migrants and people seeking asylum“, surely the Plaid-controlled local authorities would be the blueprint for everyone else to follow. Not so much…
The UK Government's visa requirements are frustrating efforts to make Wales a safe haven for Ukrainians fleeing war@BenMLake today called for a visa processing facility at Cardiff Airport so that refugees can get to Wales quickly and safely
🇺🇦🏴 pic.twitter.com/OFDxcvB6pC
— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) March 7, 2022
According to official asylum and resettlement data, Plaid-led local authorities supported a grand total of 5 asylum seekers between 31st March 2017 and 31st December 2021. Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Anglesey and Gwynedd are either Plaid controlled or have a Plaid leader (Gwynedd), and yet only Ceredigion and Gwynedd supported 2 and 3 asylum seekers respectively in the last five years. The other authorities don’t even appear on the database. Presumably because pressing ‘0’ for five years’ worth of data is a waste of time…
An average of one a year. Still, if they want to bump those numbers up, here’s a good place to start…
A powerful performance in the Commons this afternoon from Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke, who told Home Office minister Kevin Foster to go back to the department and tell them to “get a grip”. This isn’t a partisan issue, plenty of traditional Tory voters will be in complete alignment with Shelbrooke…
It’s been a year since Yvette Cooper, then a contender in the Labour leadership election, nobly pledged to open her home to Syrian refugees. At the time she told Sky News:
“If that’s what it took and that’s what was needed, then of course.”
A year on, with the refugee crisis as grave as ever, Yvette still hasn’t put up any children in need. Those fleeing Syria’s war will surely be placated with the news that she has written another article for the Guardian about how the west must help child refugees:
“The moral case for action is stronger than ever. The disturbing image last month of five-year-old Omran Daqneesh, dazed, dusty and bloodied on a plastic ambulance seat, was a searing reminder of what people are fleeing. All countries have a responsibility not just to help those fleeing persecution but to protect children from suffering.”
There are even charities near both her constituency home and her London one precisely to help people who want to house refugees. Ed’s out of the house most of the time at the moment so there’s plenty of room…
