Sadiq Khan attacks PM's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing

14 April 2022, 11:37 | Updated: 14 April 2022, 14:08

Sadiq Khan attacks PM's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing

Sadiq Khan takes aim at Boris Johnson's plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, branding it "callous", "cruel" and "chaotic".

Boris Johnson, in a speech in which he outlined the plan, said: "We simply cannot have a policy of saying anyone who wants to live here can do so.

"We've got to be able to control who comes into this country and the terms on which they remain. And we must do this in the spirit of our history of providing refuge.

"And in that way we can more than play our part in offering sanctuary to thousands fleeing persecution. But then, of course, other countries must play their part too.

"And that's what I think is most exciting about the partnership we've agreed with Rwanda today, because we believe it will become a new international standard in addressing the challenges of global migration and people smuggling."

Following Mr Johnson's speech, the Mayor of London said: "In my view, this is not just an example the Government's hostile environment. This is the hostile environment on steroids.

"And it's callous, it is cruel and it is chaotic."

The Mayor of London made the comments while standing in for James O'Brien as a LBC presenter today - after fellow Labour politicians Wes Streeting, Rachel Reeves and David Lammy have also done so this week.