Andy Burnham was criticised over his handling of Home Office guidelines telling asylum seekers that rape and domestic abuse are serious crimes, as a political pundit said the Prime Minister "could have been replaced with AI".
PM defends new government advice
The Prime Minister defended the new government advice telling asylum seekers that rape and domestic abuse are serious crimes, adding that it is right to make it "explicitly clear" what the UK's societal norms and laws are. Many deemed the pamphlet "insane" and TalkTV journalist Samara Gill claimed the "ridiculous" decision was an "admission of guilt" from the Home Office.
Broadcaster Kevin O'Sullivan invited Harry Cole, The Sun's Editor-at-Large, to discuss the PM's reaction to the Home Office guidance to asylum seekers. Harry called out Burnham's "pundit" behaviour and said: "He's tinkering at the edges at the moment, but there has to be more than this come September 1st or the 3rd, whenever it is that Parliament is finally recalled, and we actually get to see him stress-tested on some of this stuff. He just looks like he is a pundit, but he is not a pundit, he is a politician. He's not an active participant in anything, he just seems to be commentating on what is going on."
Criticism over big challenges
Harry expressed disappointment that Burnham did not take an active role in big challenges, explaining how the PM was quick to react on the migrant crisis in Ceuta, the Spanish territory in Northern Africa. Then he mentioned how Burnham was tasked to reset the relationship with Donald Trump and ended up exchanging messages with a person posing as the US President's chief of staff.
Harry continued: "Every time he's been given a sort of big test, and this is another one today. Instead of going, 'I'm a human being, I'm a father and this document does not go anywhere near far enough for any protections, and I worry for my family', which is the instinct of most normal people in this country, he's just there on the sidelines, chirping away."
He added: "Standing in front of his pile of trash, dressed as one of the two Ronnies, looking ridiculous. I mean, get a grip. You're a Prime Minister now, you spent a year agitating for this job. Show us the colour of your money, show us what you're actually going to do because right now, we could have replaced you with AI."
Burnham responds to pamphlet
Responding to the nine-page pamphlet, Burnham said the government had "a very clear principle that if you break UK law, you will be removed from the country". He said the number of removals of illegal immigrants from the UK "are significantly up" and that he was working to ensure that foreign national offenders are removed from the prison system.
He added: "It follows that if we're taking this approach, it's made explicitly clear what the UK law is and what the societal norms of the UK are and that's why this approach is being taken."
