𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Last week, Andy Burnham said “change begins with honesty”. But, whether it’s about his plans to raise your taxes, his failure to spend what we need on defence to keep our country safe, or Labour’s indifference to small boat crossings, Burnham is not being honest with Daily Express readers.

On small boats, the Labour Government has spent the last two weeks blowing its own trumpet about the numbers falling. They say the number of illegal immigrants in asylum hotels has halved. At PMQs, Andy Burnham even claimed he was committed to the issue. The truth is rather different.

Almost 20,000 illegal immigrants have arrived on boats so far this year – 4,000 under Burnham and more than 500 on Sunday alone.

Asylum hotel numbers are down, but Labour have instead moved almost 70,000 people who shouldn’t be in this country into dispersal accommodation like Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), all paid for by the British taxpayer.

Since Labour entered government, 95% of illegal immigrants crossing the Channel have been allowed to stay. So, it’s no wonder the small boats keep coming or that we get the scenes we saw in Dover and Portsmouth at the weekend.

I unconditionally condemn the violence, and the police have my full support in upholding the peace.

But the public is clearly angry about the Government’s inability to stop illegal immigration into Britain. The way to deal with that is with a serious plan and a serious deterrent, not thuggery.

I have a plan – the BORDERS plan – a bold, no-nonsense plan to take back control of our borders and fix the broken immigration system.

It starts with leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to stop foreign courts deciding who can and can’t stay in Britain.

The Conservatives are the only party doing the serious work to ensure we can leave the ECHR swiftly and sensibly, backed by a 200-page report by the eminent KC and Shadow Attorney General, Lord Wolfson.

We will also ban asylum claims for illegal immigrants and end the immigration tribunal. We will establish a removals force and deport all illegal arrivals within a week.

And, to ensure that we can return those entering Britain to their home countries, we will use visa sanctions for countries that refuse to take their illegal immigrants back.

This is a serious plan to control our immigration system that we would implement on day one of a Conservative government. With my crime and justice team of Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy, I have the expertise and the drive to ensure this plan works.

By contrast, Andy Burnham is claiming the one in, one out deal with France is sufficient, when it’s only returned 1,700 people to the continent (a reminder: 20,000 people have crossed the Channel just this year), and handing leaflets to illegal immigrants reminding them not to rape women.

Labour is weak on immigration. Andy Burnham just doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. Reform UK are too mired in donations scandals and infighting to do anything about immigration or anything else.

Only the Conservatives are serious about stopping the boats and taking back control of our borders.