Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has demanded that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer deport all migrants who arrive in Britain illegally, during a heated exchange at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
Anderson's Constituency Case
Mr Anderson, representing the Ashfield constituency, raised the case of four illegal migrants housed in a multiple occupancy property in his area. He detailed that one of them, a Pakistani national, went on to rape a vulnerable young girl in a local park and is now serving a 14-year prison sentence. Anderson described the perpetrator as "a monster allowed into this country by this awful Government."
He then directly challenged the Prime Minister: "If the Prime Minister is really serious about protecting young women and girls, does he agree with me and Reform UK that every single illegal migrant coming to this country should be detained, not allowed to claim asylum, and then deported?"
Starmer's Response
Sir Keir Starmer responded by highlighting his government's record on migration. He stated he was "very proud" of reducing net migration by 82% compared to the previous government. He added that asylum decisions are being made at record levels, the backlog is down, removals are up 41%, and the government is closing asylum hotels. He also noted that small boat crossings are decreasing and that 70,000 people with no right to be in the UK have been deported.
Starmer then turned the tables on Anderson, suggesting he should question his own party leader, who received £5 billion from a crypto billionaire and privately lobbied the Bank of England on digital currencies. Starmer asked: "Did their leader carry out lobbying, paid, why did he keep his £5 billion gift secret, and are they happy with their leader earning £20,000 an hour flogging gold bullion?"
Defence Spending Dominates PMQs
The weekly Commons session was largely dominated by military spending following the government's publication of the defence investment plan, which has a nearly £5 billion shortfall that the next prime minister—expected to be Andy Burnham—will have to fund. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of a "total dereliction of duty" during his penultimate PMQs as Labour leader.
