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Reform's Zia Yusuf told to 'get out my city' by Portsmouth MP after he accused Burnham of 'directly inciting disorder' following anti-migrant protest

Zia Yusuf had earlier hit out at the Prime Minister following the scenes of unrest over the weekend

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Police officers at the scene near Eastney Beach where the protest took place.
Police officers at the scene near Eastney Beach where the protest took place. Picture: Alamy

By Alex Storey

Reform's Zia Yusuf has been told to "get out of my city" by a Portsmouth MP after the Reform Home Affairs spokesperson accused Andy Burnham of "directly inciting disorder" following the city's anti-migrant protest.

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The party's home affairs spokesperson repeatedly hit out at the Prime Minister on Monday for allowing illegal migration into the UK, and for also trying to use scenes of disorder to "tar the right".

It came after hundreds of anti-migrant protesters took to the streets of Portsmouth over the weekend, where police officers were injured and vehicles were damaged.

Mr Yusuf told LBC he believed that the Prime Minister is guilty of "directly inciting disorder in British coastal communities.

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Amanda Martin, Labour MP for Portsmouth North on Tonight with Andrew Marr - tells Zia Yusuf: "Get out of my city".
Amanda Martin, Labour MP for Portsmouth North on Tonight with Andrew Marr - tells Zia Yusuf: "Get out of my city". Picture: LBC

But when asked what her message to Zia Yusuf was in response to the accusations, Labour MP for Portsmouth North Amanda Martin told Tonight with Andrew Marr: "Get out of my city [and] decide what you're actually going to do with regards to immigration."

"You've got some people in your party who were responsible for this in the first place, so stop trying to scapegoat.

"There have been less boats crossing the Channel, there hasn't been one in Portsmouth before.

"I don't want to see one again, and we will be doing everything."

Ms Martin told Andrew she empathised with the frustration among protesters and added that Labour were bringing down the amount of Channel crossings.

She added: "But anger doesn't mean you should break the law.

"[It] doesn't mean you should smash up police cars, doesn't mean that you should ensure that somebody who's been working along there can't get home.

"That night when they've been there, and they shouldn't be trapped in their workplace because they can't get out.

"That's not okay. We should be able to protest, but protest can be and should be peaceful."

The protesters had been taking action over migrants who arrived in a so-called "mega dinghy" from being taken to a processing centre in Kent.

The boat had set off from the Baie de Seine in Normandy – a 180-mile drive from Calais – suggesting people smugglers are expanding their launch points along the French coast to evade enforcement efforts.

Zia Yusuf told LBC that Andy Burnham must take responsibility for the scenes of disorder.
Zia Yusuf told LBC that Andy Burnham must take responsibility for the scenes of disorder. Picture: Reuters

Earlier in the day, Mr Yusuf told LBC's Benji Hyer: "Andy Burnham is directly inciting disorder in British coastal communities.

"I want you to think what it would be like to be a local resident. We know that the men coming into this country are A, unvetted, and B, are nationalities who are orders of magnitude more likely to commit sex crimes than British people.

"The British state, now led by Andy Burnham, continues to aid and abet illegal entry into this country.

"When people come out and say enough is enough, how helpless do you think you would feel?

"So I want to say it again, Andy Burnham knows what he's doing.

Police speaking to protesters in the water at Eastney near Portsmouth.
Police speaking to protesters in the water at Eastney near Portsmouth. Picture: PA

"What he's trying to do is incite disorder and then use any potential disorder to tar all of the right— the millions of patriotic, right-thinking, decent people who think this is absolutely absurd."

A Government spokesperson told LBC: "We condemn the intimidating and thuggish behaviour we saw in Portsmouth last night.

"The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder. We thank the emergency services who safely managed this situation.

"This Government is doing the hard and necessary work of bearing down on small boats crossings, with the lowest number of June to August arrivals since 2020."

Andy Burnham was accused of inciting disorder on the coastal towns.
Andy Burnham was accused of inciting disorder on the coastal towns. Picture: Alamy