Kemi Badenoch has warned that Britain will end up like France, engulfed in civil unrest, if borders are not tightened. The Conservative leader called on the government to make it more difficult to gain British citizenship.
Criticism of EU and Burnham
Mrs Badenoch also criticised Andy Burnham for wanting to drag Britain back into the EU, warning that civil unrest in France and a German Chancellor on the brink of being ousted are not a great advertisement for the bloc.
Speaking at a press conference, Mrs Badenoch admitted that too many people came into the UK under the previous Tory government, with those individuals now able to qualify for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).
Call for Tougher Citizenship Rules
Mrs Badenoch added that she "knows we made a mistake" and "holds [her] hands up to it." She said: "What I am interested in is how we fix this problem. It should not be so easy to get British citizenship, which is what ILR basically fast tracks you to."
She added: "Being a British citizen is a privilidge, it is not something you get like a 'Buy One Get One Free' in a supermarket. We have to do better than that, and Labour need to focus on how to make sure that our immigration system is fit for the world we live in."
Support for Mahmood
"We will support Shabana Mahmood if she toughens up the system," Kemi Badenoch added, when asked about immigration reform. The Tory leader suggested that Ms Mahmood is "not going far enough", but warned Labour Ministers not to bow to pressure to water down reforms by her own MPs.
Mrs Badenoch added: "I am afraid we are going to see a lot more problems in the country. I don't want us to end up with how France is ending up, with so much civil unrest. Politicians need to take resiablity, we will help Shabana if she takes responsibility."
