Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been criticised after struggling through a Sky News interview in which he attempted to defend the Government's asylum seeker housing policy. The interview with presenter Beth Rigby has been described as a "car crash", with the Prime Minister "completely falling apart" on camera.
Village referendum over asylum housing plans
The discussion centred on Piddlington, an Oxfordshire village that voted for secession from the UK in opposition to Government proposals to house more than 1,000 asylum seekers at a former military facility. The symbolic independence referendum was organised by Piddlington Parish Council on Tuesday, September 15, following the announcement of plans to accommodate up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at an MoD site between Piddlington and Upper and Lower Arncott.
When asked for his opinion on the ballot, Mr Burnham stammered as he responded. He said: "I understand the strength of feeling, and that's something that is across the country, but the only thing to do is to get the number of crossings down.
"And they are significantly down; they are now at a seven-year low. But we also made a commitment to people to end the use of hotels to house refugees and asylum seekers.
"And that commitment needs to be honoured, and I think the vast majority of people are saying, 'Yep, that really does need to proceed'. This involves difficult decisions.
"It's about fairness across the country, not saying only one part of the country or one group of communities should do all of the work. It's difficult, and obviously, I will look at the issues being raised by the community and in the referendum, but we have to ensure that we have a fair plan as well as getting the numbers down, and the numbers are coming down significantly."
Social media reaction to the interview
Viewers took to social media to voice their concerns about the Prime Minister's performance. One user wrote: "The Prime Minister has completely fallen apart on camera trying to defend his chaotic border policies.
"Stammering, stuttering, and visibly terrified of his own words, Burnham actually tried to justify Operation Scatter by claiming that spreading unvetted arrivals across every single town in Great Britain makes it fair!"
Another commented: "There should not be a risk in the first place. Burnham and his Government are guilty of betraying the British people. He openly admits there is a risk, so why do it, why let it, or encourage it, to happen?"
A third viewer said: "Hysterical nonsense. Despite all the scaremongering and agenda-peddling, the number of people arriving by boat has been greatly reduced. Deportations are up. Overall immigration is also significantly down."
