‘Answer the blooming question!’ Donald Trump’s travel ban sparks explosive GB News row as guest disputes Afghan sex crime claim: ‘Facts aren’t racist’

The row comes as President Donald Trump announced a full travel ban on nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, which takes effect on Monday.

The White House said the ban followed "a robust assessment of the risk that countries posed to the United States, including regarding terrorism and national security".

Research director at the Centre for Migration Control, Robert Bates had earlier told GB News that Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq feature prominently in UK crime statistics, showing "a very strong similarity with Trump's list".

Responding to the figures shown by Bates, Martin asked Stadlen: "Remember, facts aren't racist. These are the facts. Surely this is the basis of a sensible filtration process to make sure we get the best quality immigration into Britain, and we try to cut down on some of the social problems."

Stadlen responded: "I want British citizens, and everyone in this country, to be safe. Of course I do. I'm a father of two, apart from anything else.

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"Secondly, you say the stats never lie, but of course, you've heard that old phrase, haven't you? Lies, damned lies, and statistics. When you showed one of those tables to me before, because it caught me a little off guard, I went and showed it to a very preeminent statistician, a professor who uses stats in their career.

"As far as he was concerned, he did some debunking of that. So I think we've got to be a little careful. Don't forget, this graph is from a think tank that really wants to crack down on immigration."

GB News host Martin Daubney fumed: "You are better than shooting the messenger, mate. Answer the message.

"The data is there, you can pick it apart. The reason we have to do workarounds on this data is because the British government won't give us the data they do in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany.

"The pattern is the same as you just saw in the British workaround. If they're so confident we're wrong, give us the real data. When we get there, I guarantee you it’s going to be pretty much the same framework. So don’t attack the messenger, address the message."

GB News host Martin Daubney fumed: "You are better than shooting the messenger, mate. Answer the message.

"The data is there, you can pick it apart. The reason we have to do workarounds on this data is because the British government won't give us the data they do in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany. The pattern is the same as you just saw in the British workaround.

"If they're so confident we're wrong, give us the real data. When we get there, I guarantee you it’s going to be pretty much the same framework. So don’t attack the messenger, address the message."

Stadlen said: "Are you suggesting, Martin, that the figures you've just shown us are not based on real data?"

Martin said: "I'm suggesting that they are based on real data, but they have to be worked around. You have to do Freedom of Information requests to police forces, to the Department for Work and Pensions. It's very technical, it takes a long time, it's quite dull.

"You then have to cross-tabulate against population levels from census data, and that is probably out of date. But it's all we've got, it's the best fit. We ask the Home Office, time after time, to give us the data. They say they don't hold it, and that's the point. So we're doing a workaround."

He later added: "Answer the question. You're attacking the messenger and not answering the message. Answer the blooming question."