Immigration lawyer Harjap Singh Bhangal has blasted the Home Office’s failure on migration after it lost 17,000 people whose asylum claims were withdrawn.
He told GB News presenter Martin Daubney that Britain is failing in its task to properly process asylum seekers and send them back where necessary.
It comes as Rishi Sunak faces open revolt from the Tories, despite his insistence that his Government has taken the “toughest action ever taken to reduce legal migration”.
He told Keir Starmer during PMQs that his actions are “yet to be felt”.
Harjap Singh Bhangal has hit out at the Home Office
PA / GB NEWS
Speaking on GB News, Bhanghal said the Government are attempting to “manipulate” the British public ahead of an election in which it faces a “wipeout”.
“The Government hasn’t sent them back”, he said.
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PA“We know removals and deportations are down under this Government. They have been since 2010.
“For example, in 2009 when we had a Labour Government, who are allegedly soft on immigration, we were sending back 60,000 a year.
“Last year, that figure went down to 3,000. So we’re not sending people back.
“People are just disappearing. The Government are using this as a PR stunt. They’re saying ‘tell the public, less people are claiming asylum’, the fact is, 17,000 people’s claims haven’t been dealt with.
“It’s a manipulation, we can understand why because it’s an election year and this Government is facing a wipeout.”
He continued by telling Martin Daubney that the “incompetence” on display by the Home Office is “not surprising”.
“We’ve seen how useless the Home Office is in the last 10-15 years. Even MPs say it’s not fit for purpose.
“With more scrutiny into these matters, the public are beginning to see this is a mess.
“It wasn’t under just one Home Secretary, it was the same under Priti Patel, Suella Bravermand and Theresa May, they just can’t seem to get it right.”
Speaking at PMQs yesterday, Sunak addressed the issue in the face of heavy criticism from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.
Sunak said: “Let me be crystal clear, the levels of migration are far too high and I am determined to bring them back down to sustainable levels.
“That’s why we have asked the Migration Advisory Council to review certain elements of the system. We’re reviewing those findings and will bring forward next steps.
“But earlier this year we announced the toughest action ever taken to reduce legal migration.
“The effects of that action are yet to be felt, but will impact 150,000 student dependants and forecasts show that migration is likely to drop as a result.”
He said Labour would do a “secret backroom deal with the EU that would see an additional 100,000 migrants here every year”.