Caroline Dinenage, Conservative MP for Gosport, has criticised Andy Burnham and the government after 149 small boat migrants arrived in Gosport on Sunday night (October 4). Dinenage said she was given "absolutely no forewarning" about the arrival and has still not been contacted by the Home Office.
MP condemns lack of communication
Speaking to GB News presenters Tom Harwood and Emily Carver, Dinenage said: "I was given absolutely no forewarning and even as we speak, I have still not been contacted by the Home Office or the government in any capacity to alert me, offer any assistance, or give me any information that I can share with my constituents to try and address this really unpleasant and difficult situation we've seen unfolding in Gosport."
Harwood described the government's failure to "actively outreach" as "pretty shocking" and suggested the operation appeared to be carried out "under the cloak of darkness".
No response from Home Office
Dinenage said she contacted the Home Office minister at around 1 o'clock on Sunday afternoon but has not received a response. She also revealed that Shabana Mahmood has not replied to her letter sent two weeks ago, which prompted Carver to remark: "That's quite incredible."
The MP said she, the leader of the council, and the police and crime commissioner had all written to the Home Secretary "expressing in the strongest possible terms that this is not a suitable location to land these boats". The arrival follows another boat carrying illegal migrants heading to Gosport being redirected to Dover.
Local unrest and police response
The migrants' arrival sparked outrage among Gosport residents, with protestors chanting "send them back". Police set up cordons, leading to six arrests following clashes, and implemented a dispersal order alongside a face-covering ban. Ambulances and coaches were dispatched to the area, and the newly arrived individuals were later transported for processing in Kent to undergo standard health, security and biometric checks.
