Ian Payne 4am - 7am
Tom Swarbrick caller 'angry' at government's 'incompetence' over lack of safe routes for migrants
8 March 2023, 07:34
'Angry' caller calls out govt's 'utter incompetence' for lack of safe and legal routes for refugees
After the government's announcement of the Illegal Migration Bill, Rishi Sunak said "every other way" has failed to stop small boats crossing the Channel, leaving this caller "physically sick".
Tom Swarbrick's caller, Judy in Bushey, said: "I actually felt physically sick listening to what Sunak was saying.
"Drug laws don't stop dealers dealing or people buying drugs, so these laws are not going to stop traffickers finding another way to get already desperate people, or convince already desperate people, that they can get them across into the country even if they're undocumented.
"He said we've done everything we can. They haven't told us what they've done.
"He talked about spending £6m a day on hotels. This government couldn't organise a proverbial party in a brewery!"
The furious caller then asked why the government doesn't "actually give us any numbers" or "find a way to deal with things", expressing her anger "at the utter incompetence of this government".
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"All that Rishi Sunak is doing is talking about Albanians", Judy continued. "He doesn't talk about the people coming here out of desperation."
"Why can't the government find a decent, proper and efficient way to put procedures in place?" she added, lamenting that "there are no safe legal routes."
Tom then clarified that this was "the second part of the Bill...setting up safe and legal routes with parliament's agreement on a number of refugees that the country should take."
This didn't seem to satisfy the caller, who responded saying "they've had 13 years" to work that out.
Regarding the argument that migrants are putting pressure on the NHS, Judy said: "The people coming across on boats are not queuing up outside my local GP surgery preventing me from getting an appointment."
"It's ludicrous - what is wrong with people?!" she exclaimed.