Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has accused Andy Burnham of being "no different" to Keir Starmer on illegal immigration, claiming the Mayor of Greater Manchester is "failing to protect our borders" and has learnt nothing from his predecessor's record.
Writing for the Express, Philp said more illegal immigrants crossed the Channel under Starmer than under any prime minister, and that Burnham, unless he acts decisively, "will fail on illegal immigration exactly as the man he replaced did."
Mega dinghies and crime concerns
Philp highlighted the arrival of "mega dinghies" – boats built in China to pack in more illegal immigrants – making crossings more dangerous than ever. He said crimes committed by illegal immigrants are reported "seemingly daily," citing two Afghans who raped a young woman in Barking and a 19-year-old girl raped in Bournemouth by a refugee.
He criticised Labour's response of publishing posters telling illegal immigrants to be nice, informing them that women are equal and the age of consent is 16, calling it "a complete admission of the danger posed by the people being let in."
Integration and cultural standards
Philp argued that people are arriving from cultures with "no respect for women and girls," and that this outlook is incompatible with British society. He claimed too many communities have failed to integrate, and that microcosms of British society now run on imported standards "at the expense of the women who live under them."
He said violence against women and girls is a national epidemic and that political taboos cannot be indulged. He called for those let in to respect British law and customs and integrate, citing his party's Cultural and Integration Commission, which starts from the principle that Britain can be multi-racial without being multicultural.
Rwanda and the BORDERS plan
Philp said immigration must mean insisting those admitted accept British law and the equality of British women, adding that men who abuse women should not be granted the right to settle, and those who abuse after settling should lose it.
He described the cancellation of the Rwanda scheme as "catastrophic," noting more than 80,000 illegal immigrants have crossed since the election. He said Labour conceded Rwanda was necessary after two years, accepting the National Crime Agency's conclusion that third-country removals work.
Philp said Rwanda only works as a deterrent if it is real, which requires leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, at the heart of the Conservative BORDERS plan. The plan would leave the ECHR and the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, ban asylum claims from illegal entrants, remove every illegal arrival within a week, deport all foreign national offenders, and raise removals to 150,000 a year.
Philp concluded by questioning how Burnham will respond, noting his past comments that immigrants should claim benefits immediately and his support for more immigration legal aid, asking whether he will double down on open-borders beliefs or stand up for strong borders.
