Exclusive

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber: Migrant crisis on 'same level as climate change'

19 November 2021, 10:35

Lord ALW: The refugee crisis is on the 'same level as climate change'

By James Morris

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber has told LBC he fears the migrant crisis is on the “same level as climate change”.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

The composer said “it’s not going to work” if the UK “turns a blind eye” to the thousands of migrants arriving in the country.

More than 23,000 people have arrived in the UK this year after crossing the English Channel in small boats. This is almost three times last year’s total of about 8,500.

It comes after Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told LBC yesterday that the government is looking at processing migrants overseas.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said the UK cannot 'turn a blind eye' to the thousands of migrants arriving in the UK.
Lord Lloyd-Webber said the UK cannot 'turn a blind eye' to the thousands of migrants arriving in the UK. Picture: Alamy/LBC

In an exclusive interview, Lord Lloyd Webber said this morning: “It’s a really, really difficult issue because at the moment, with all these migrants desperately trying to come to the country, you have to think: ‘What is behind all this?’.

“And my feeling is that it’s such a global issue now that it really can’t be swept under the carpet on another level. I think it’s of the same level as climate change.

Read more: Lord Lloyd Webber: Vaccine passports are a small price to pay to avoid more lockdowns

Read more: Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber urges Brits to get vaccinated 'whether they like it or not'

“It’s so inter-linked because there are people who are actually becoming refugees due to climate change. I just don’t think we can forget about it.”

He added: “Britain is obviously a very very crowded country in many ways but if we at the same time turn a blind eye and just say all of these people have got to go back, it’s not going to work.”

Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber explains why he played his first-ever DJ set

It comes after Qirjako Qirko, the Albanian ambassador, said claims the UK was in talks with Albania to process migrants are "absolutely fake news".

Mr Qirko, also speaking exclusively to LBC this morning, said there have been “zero talks” between Albania and UK “regarding these processing centres”.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, earlier calling it "the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities'.

Passengers on Greta Thunberg's 'Freedom Flotilla' arrive at Israeli Airport to return to the UK, Israel says

Many of those polled by the GMB union reported being too scared to work, while one said they carried a baseball bat in their car to ward off attackers.

'I don’t feel safe in the UK anymore': Private hire drivers speak out over violent attacks and rising fear

Lynch syndrome is a rare condition which runs in families which puts people at a higher risk of developing cancers of the bowel, womb and ovaries.

'Too many women are being missed': Cancer risk warning as families left in the dark over genetic testing gaps

Passengers walking past a class 374 Eurostar train at London St Pancras International train station, London, UK

Eurostar unveils plans to launch direct trains from UK to Germany and Switzerland

Woodland Trust warns UK forests are failing nature and climate

'Alarmingly few ancient trees left': Woodland Trust warns UK forests are failing nature and climate

A father and son at the water's edge on Brighton Beach

UK has one of 'worst statutory leave offers for fathers and other parents in the developed world', Equalities boss says

x

Mum of autistic teen 'obsessed with Hitler' who took her own life slams agencies over 'missed opportunities'

Meg Moore - Love Island star

'Too glam for a 9-to-5 job': Love Island star’s remark irks viewers in first episode of hit reality show

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Speaks At Chatham House

Brits 'better learn to speak Russian' if UK does not ramp up defence spending, Nato secretary-general warns

‘Freedom Flotilla’

Greta Thunberg's 'Freedom Flotilla' arrives in Israeli port

Sly And The Family Stone

Legendary funk rocker and soul musician Sly Stone dies aged 82

Protesters help news photographer Nick Stern after an injury during a protest in Compton, Calif., Saturday, June 7, 2025, after federal immigration authorities conducted operations.

'US police want to win', says British photographer injured by 'plastic bullet' in LA protests amid immigration crackdown

Morin-Briton, of Rosehill, Sutton, was found guilty of murder and possession of a knife

Killer jailed for life after 'senseless' stabbing of man in South London car park

Women who experience domestic violence are at higher risk of traumatic brain injury and mental health conditions almost 30 years after escaping their abusers, a study suggests.

Women who experience domestic violence 'at higher risk of brain injury almost 30 years after escaping abusers'

Ada Bikakci

London bus driver who killed girl, 9, on bike after falling asleep at wheel while on drugs jailed for four years

Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a legal battle for months

Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400m defamation lawsuit against former co-star Blake Lively