GB News presenter Michelle Dewberry has called for a fundamental shift in how Britain approaches the small boat crisis, arguing that physically preventing vessels from leaving France or turning them back represents the "only way" to halt Channel crossings.
The comments come after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled plans for what he calls an "innovative solution" to the crisis, proposing to link countries' annual visa quotas to their cooperation on preventing illegal migration.
Speaking to GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope at the G7 summit in Canada, the Prime Minister explained that nations failing to stop migrants travelling illegally to Britain could see their visa allocations reduced.
Michelle Dewberry said on GB News: "What I would like to see explored because the mental gymnastics that people seem to be going through to come up with all these different ideas of all these random things we could do once people reach these shores and so on what, can we put them to where can they live?
Michelle Dewberry asked if it is we can "explore pushing the boats back"
GB NEWS
"But I feel very perplexed that there doesn't seem to be a proper national conversation originating from this government, which is looking at: how do we stop these people reaching these shores in the first place?
"How do we literally explore pushing those boats back, turning those boats back?
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
"Because actually, you can go around the houses, but when all is said and done, the only way you're going to stop it is literally stopping those boats either coming out of the shore at Calais, or pushing them back to Calais. That’s it, really?"
Labour Peer Steve McCabe responded: "Well, I mean, my view is that the government is doing what it can by negotiating international arrangements, by trying to stem this much further down the line, before they get to France.
"We are not finding it easy. We're not that different from any other European country I can think of in trying to deal with the problem, and we have to keep at it until we find a way of breaking the gangs and stemming the number who are actually getting to France in the first place."
Speaking to GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope at the G7 summit in Canada, the Prime Minister explained that nations failing to stop migrants travelling illegally to Britain could see their visa allocations reduced.
REVEALED: Countries which fail to stop migrants travelling to UK illegally could have visa quotas reduced, says Sir Keir Starmer
"We are looking at a much more smart way of how we do visas, perhaps more transactional," Starmer said, as an estimated 2,000 migrants crossed the English Channel into southern England during the summit week.
The Prime Minister outlined his approach: "Looking at the countries that we have visa arrangements with and asking ourselves are there enough preventative measures; have we got a returns agreement."
Starmer has guaranteed that all migrant hotels will be emptied by the next general election, expected in 2029, though he declined to specify whether occupants would simply be relocated to flats and Houses of Multiple Occupation.
Labour Peer Steve McCabe said that Labour is 'doing everything they can'
GB NEWS
"Yes. We are working to that and the way to do that is to process the claims," the Prime Minister said when asked about emptying the hotels.
Pressed on whether migrants would be moved to alternative accommodation, Starmer outlined his preferred outcome: "The ideal situation is they're processed, and if they've got no right to be here, they're removed to the country they came from."
He highlighted progress already made, stating he was "really pleased that in less than a year, that's what we've done with 30,000 [removals from the UK]".
Most Read
