Zia Yusuf shuts down Green’s furious Question Time immigration rant | Politics | News
Zia Yusuf silenced Green Party leader Zack Polanski after the lefty politician made the bizarre claim that Nigel Farage was responsible for mass immigration into Britain. The clash came as politicians took to Question Time to debate Robert Jenrickโs observations about integration in ethnic minority parts of Birmingham.
Asked if Mr Jenrick had been right to talk about seeing โno white facesโ in the Handsworth area of Britainโs second city, Mr Yusuf agreed there is a crucial debate to be had about integration. However, he quickly turned fire on Mr Jenrickโs own responsibility for Tory failures on immigration, adding: โI think Robert Jenrick is not necessarily the best exponent of those concerns given he served in the Tory government as immigration minister when 6.5 million net new people were shipped in over 14 years of their government against the wishes of the British people.โ
He hit back at one left-wing audience member who challenged him not to talk about immigration during the programme, insisting he would โtalk about immigration, because according to the latest YouGov poll it is the number one issue for ordinary British people.โ
Responding to the YouGov poll, Green leader Zack Polanski claimed: โDo you ever think itโs the number one problem because you spend a lot of time spreading misinformation and fear?โ
Mr Yusuf furiously hit back: โYou just accused me of spreading misinformation, please tell me and the public watching at home what is it Iโve said?โ
Mr Polanski, who is best know for claiming he could increase the size of womenโs breasts with the power of his mind, insisted that the lack of hospital beds and other public services was not due to mass immigration but a lack of funding.
โYou canโt blame austerity on one hand, but then claim itโs the immigrants. The immigrants havenโt caused austerity, the same Thatcherite policies that you and your party support – and the Conservatives – are what have caused the devastation in this country and you should claim responsibility for that to.โ
Asked if he genuinely believes 11 million new people entering the country in 14 years against the wishes of the British people hasnโt put pressure on public services, Mr Polanski dodged the question.
The Green leader answered: โWe were told Brexit would bring down mass immigration and actually what itโs done has brought up immigrationโฆ so thatโs a mess Nigel Farage started when he gave misinformation.โ
Mr Yusuf immediately shot back: โI donโt believe Nigel Farage was in government for those 14 years!โ
โHe was not in government Iโm afraid.โ
Mr Polanski appeared defeated on this point, meekly replying: โOkay.โ
