A migrant 'insistent' on reaching the UK threatened to stab members of Lee Anderson's security team during a tense encounter at a migrant camp in northern France. The man, a 22-year-old Somalian called Hassan, also suggested he would kidnap a female member of the Reform UK chairman's team.
Incident revealed on podcast
Express Home Affairs Editor Michael Knowles, who joined Mr Anderson on his visit to the camp in Calais, revealed the shocking incident on the latest episode of the Daily Expresso podcast. Speaking to host Steph Spyro, Knowles said: "As the cameras went off, it started to get really quite edgy. Because what happened was this chap then started to threaten to stab Lee's security guards."
Knowles noted that the security team were all former SAS soldiers, creating a tense atmosphere. He said: "These are all former SAS guys, so there was quite an atmosphere and they were very much on the lookout for any kind of conflict anyway."
Threat to female staff member
The most alarming moment came when the migrant focused on the only female member of Anderson's team. Knowles recounted: "But then the really chilling part came when he focused on Lee's only female member of staff and he basically said, 'I am going to take you to the UK with me', inferring he was going to kidnap her."
Hassan had earlier been 'insistent' on his desire to reach Edinburgh. Following the standoff, Anderson's team decided to leave the camp as quickly as possible, as it was deemed no longer safe.
Escape from the camp
As they boarded a bus to leave, another migrant attempted to get on, saying: "I want to go to the UK." The security team had to push the man away, after which he moved to the front of the vehicle and began banging on it, shouting: "I'm coming, I'm coming, don't go without me."
Knowles said that eventually other migrants came over to lead the man away after what he described as "quite a startling scene".
Broader context of Channel crossings
The incident comes as a record 230 migrants crossed the English Channel in a single boat. People smugglers have been increasing the number of migrants crammed into boats, a tactic the Government has condemned as "reckless and dangerous".
Knowles described a sense of "hostility" in the migrant camps, particularly towards women. He added that when migrants see cameras, often the inhabitants "play up to it". "There is a lot of aggression there," Knowles added.
Instruction manuals found
During the Express's visit to northern France with Mr Anderson, it was revealed that migrants are being given "instruction manuals" on how to cross the Channel in dinghies and claim asylum in the UK. Handheld leaflets available in 16 languages, including Arabic, Pashto, and Farsi, warned asylum seekers to avoid windy conditions, dodge cargo ships, and stay in their boats.
Mr Anderson erupted with fury after being handed an Arabic version, adding that if a migrant wants "to make this perilous journey across Europe and to the UK, this is all you need".
