Minister denies Priti Patel is 'failing' to sort out migrant crisis

17 November 2021, 09:48 | Updated: 17 November 2021, 14:13

'Priti Patel is failing, isn't she minister?'

By Patrick Grafton-Green

A government minister has denied Priti Patel is failing to sort out the migrant crisis, despite the Home Secretary admitting the Liverpool terror suspect was able to exploit Britain's "dysfunctional" asylum system.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

LBC's Nick Ferrari questioned International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan on what Ms Patel has achieved on migration, pointing out that the number of migrants making the trip across the Channel was increasing year-on-year.

When Nick told Ms Trevelyan that Ms Patel was "failing" as the numbers "go up and up and up", the Secretary of State repeatedly pointed to the "big challenge" of "dealing with these appalling criminal gangs" who "are doing their best to abuse the vulnerability" of migrants.

READ MORE: Liverpool bomber 'exploited' asylum loophole to stay in UK - Home Sec

READ MORE: Migrant Channel crossings could hit 'epidemic' levels, warns ex-Border Force chief

She added the Home Secretary was "pushing on to tackle them and deal with this appalling migration".

She said: "We are not a country that has closed its doors to asylum seekers, we always want to continue to provide safe harbour for those vulnerable families and individuals who want to be part of our UK family and to be contributors here in a safe place.

"The flip-side of that is that there are also these criminal gangs that are abusing both the trust and vulnerability of families."

Ms Trevelyan said Ms Patel was "working with many groups and EU countries" on the issue, including "working very closely with the French".

Muslim academic says UK asylum system is broken

She insisted the system is "working in that we are fighting the gangs", adding "there are legitimate ways... to seek asylum in the UK and [Ms Patel] is continuing a build a much more robust system".

It comes after the Home Secretary, on a trip to Washington, is said to have told reporters: "The case in Liverpool was a complete reflection of how dysfunctional, how broken, the system has been in the past, and why I want to bring changes forward."

She added: "It’s a complete merry-go-round and it has been exploited. A whole sort of professional legal services industry has based itself on rights of appeal, going to the courts day-in day-out at the expense of the taxpayers through legal aid. That is effectively what we need to change."

"These people have come to our country and abused British values, abused the values of the fabric of our country and our society," she said.

The suspect in the Liverpool bomb attack, Emad Al Swealmeen, reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year - but was still in the country six years later.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

A Ryanair passenger plane taxis on the runway at Luton airport.

Ryanair plane from UK crashes into barrier on landing after ‘severe turbulence’ leaving passengers scared

Lively's team applied to prevent Justin Baldoni obtaining the messages between her and Taylor Swift, arguing they were irrelevant.

Messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift can be handed over to Justin Baldoni as part of legal battle

Trump to decide on US involvement in Iran 'in the next two weeks' as White House reveals attack timeline

Trump to decide on US involvement in Israel-Iran conflict 'in the next two weeks' as White House unveils attack timeline

The elderly woman was found holding kitchen utensils and she was targeted with the Taser when she refused to drop them.

Police officers face misconduct hearing after dementia patient, 90, 'handcuffed and hooded' for holding kitchen utensils

Coco Gauff of United States during the Roland-Garros 2025, French Open, Grand Slam tennis tournament on 7 June 2025 at Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, France

Coco Gauff suffers shock defeat to Wang Xinyu in Berlin

Exclusive
The Iranian State Radio and Television (IRIB) building could be seen burning from a distance after the strike

Implications of a US attack on Iran 'might be greater' than Iraq in 2003, former Defence Secretary claims

Father James has been jailed for seven years for preying on the vulnerable teenage boys at Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire.

Monk, 71, jailed after sexually abusing boys at ‘Catholic Eton’ for two decades

'Major incident' declared as smoke seen billowing from motorway tunnel with drivers told to 'stay in cars'

Rush hour chaos as smoke seen billowing from motorway tunnel with drivers told to 'stay in cars'

Expats take to social media to react to 'unbearable' UK heatwave that 'feels like a sauna'

'90 feels like 120 here': US expats react to 'unbearable' heatwave that makes UK 'feel like a sauna'

Jennifer Abbot, 69, was discovered stabbed to death in her Camden home

Woman, 66, arrested on suspicion of killing film director in 'Rolex murder'

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer poses with a personalised England shirt as he meets with the England Women's football team, the Lionesses, at St George's Park in Staffordshire, England.

PM unveils new school PE drive as he meets Lionesses to give pupils 'opportunity to play for England'

Garner-Abbey had gone to the hotel with 22 year old Philip Wood, who was her partner at the time, but isn’t the father of the unborn child.

Pregnant teenager jailed for 'throwing rocks and stoking fires' in Rotherham migrant riots

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi

What have critics said about F1: The Movie?

HMP Dorchester Prison, Dorset, Britain, UK

Violence ‘excessively high’ in prisons driven by overcrowding and drugs, report reveals

Sexual predator Chinese student Zhenhao Zou has been jailed

Chinese PhD student jailed for life for raping 10 women offered to be chemically castrated for lighter sentence

Sabrina Carpenter performs at the 2025 BRIT Awards

Sabrina Carpenter 'open' to banning phones at concerts despite 'backlash' from fans