GB News paused its regular programming for a breaking migrant alert as a woman confronted Andy Burnham over plans to house asylum seekers near her village.
Resident voices fears for village safety
Andrea Owen, a resident of Piddington in Oxfordshire, spoke to presenter Patrick Christys about her concerns for her daughter's future if thousands of illegal migrants are placed in the local area. The village, home to around 400 people, could become accommodation for 1,250 male migrants at a neighbouring former Ministry of Defence (MoD) site.
Owen recalled growing up in Ambrosden, a neighbouring village, describing it as a safe environment where children played rounders outside, walked to the shop alone and rode bikes down the street. She said: "It's always felt very safe. We walked to school by ourselves. I've always felt that it's really safe to leave my daughter there with her grandparents. She spends a lot of time with them. They take her to the park, my mum takes her to walk the dog."
Direct demand to the Prime Minister
Owen added: "It's a very normal, British area. Kids do ride their bikes in the street and skate down the road. Like many places in the UK, you feel safe there." She claimed this would change if the illegal migrants are housed there, stating: "The whole country is being ripped away from the British people and British traditions."
She made a direct demand to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who recently said middle-class families should "play their part" by accepting asylum seeker accommodation near their homes, arguing arrivals should not just be placed in the "poorest communities". Owen fumed: "He needs to wake up and he needs to listen to what the people that are paying his and his party's salaries are saying because things need to change and they need to change rapidly."
Migrant toolkit controversy
Earlier in the week, GB News presenter Martin Daubney announced that local authorities are offering a "migrant toolkit" to help people enter Britain illegally. He said the channel's exclusive report found that three local authorities — Greater London Authority, Ealing Council and Hertfordshire County Council — all recommend the toolkit, titled Right to Remain. The toolkit is displayed on their council websites and offers everything, including asylum system explainers and advice for illegal migrants on what to do when their asylum claim is rejected.
