Watch as GB News star Matt Goodwin rages at political commentator Fahima Mahomed during a tense row about the migrant crisis.
Mahomed criticised Labour for appearing to mimic Reform UK’s narrative on the matter with Keir Starmer this week promising to get tough.
Matt said immigration is Britain’s number one issue, according to its voters, which is why the prime minister has been forced to adopt a tougher narrative.
“You’re acting as though Keir Starmer is speaking up for this mad, extreme fringe”, he said.
Matt Goodwin locked horns with Mahomed in a blazing GB News row
GB NEWS / PA
“Most people in this country want less immigration. It’s not that hard to figure out.”
Mahomed said Goodwin is “trying to talk for everyone when it’s not the case”, adding: “Everywhere else, they do not only mention immigration, there’s much more.
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“It’s the only rhetoric I hear from people like yourself and I am not calling you far-right or anything like that but we have to do so much to get this country back in order.
“It’s not just immigration. Immigration is not going to erase any of the economics or the issues there.”
Matt responded saying: “The British people are saying they don’t want to deal with this record breaking number of people.
“Many of whom are breaking our laws and it’s the British people watching this show being asked to pay £15 billion over the next ten years, £5 million a day for hotels and accommodation.
Matt grew increasingly frustrated at Mahomed's claims
GB NEWS
“You talk about economics, how about we take that £15 billion by fixing the migrant crisis and build 10 new hospitals for the British people?”
Mahomed said migrants are not being processed properly, saying “it’s been so long where people are waiting for their immigration status. People are talking about it like it’s the migrants’ fault.
“It’s not just people coming here and all being criminals as you think. They’re not arrested when they arrive because they seek refuge.
“Some aren’t here for the right reasons but the majority are. You can’t just put them all in the same stroke and brush them all under the same carpet. Be nice to everyone.”
Michelle Dewberry was forced to intervene
GB NEWS
Matt said Mahomed spoke a great deal about fairness but failed to address what constitutes as fair for Britons.
“They are the ones having to pay for this and we have 160,000 people coming into this country illegally - their first act arriving into the UK is breaking the law”, he said.
“These people should be taken and processed offshore, away from the British people. This is not fair. The state is taking British taxpayers’ money to people like Serco who are outpaying British people in their own market to give more favourable contracts to illegal migrants and asylum seekers. How is that fair?”
Mahomed insisted not all of the people arriving are enjoying the benefits Matt suggests they are.
Keir Starmer announced the return hubs yesterdayGB NEWS “I don’t believe boats are the best ways to come obviously, it’s costing lives. But we need legal routes. It’s easy to criminalise them when actually they are vulnerable”, she argued.
Matt then accused Mahomed of living in a “fantasy land”, adding: “The British culture is based on the notion of fair play which means if people come into our country, they uphold our laws.”
Mahomed said Matt was being hostile, to which he responded: “800,000 refugees in recent years and you’re sat there saying we’re not humanitarian. What planet are you living on?”
She said Matt’s comments were unfair, not Britain’s handling of the crisis, to which he hit back: “Saying we should control our borders isn’t right, then?”
“We should, of course”, said Mahomed. “You’re taking me out of context.”
Despite Prime Minister Keir Starmer's promises to tackle the issue, the crisis continues to deepen with no immediate solution in sight.
Arrivals this year are approaching 13,000 - an increase of 40 per cent compared to 2024. More than 600 migrants crossed the Channel on Monday, coinciding with Sir Keir Starmer's major speech promising a crackdown on immigration. The timing highlighted the disconnect between government rhetoric and the reality of the ongoing crisis.
Starmer is under intense pressure to get a grip on the crisis, with migration seen as one of the main reasons why Labour lost the recent Runcorn and Helsby by-election to Nigel Farage's Reform UK. The defeat has increased scrutiny on the government's handling of Channel crossings, which has become a politically sensitive issue for the Prime Minister.
Officials have warned that the problem is "endemic" and unlikely to see any reduction in crossing numbers until 2026 at the earliest. One insider described the situation bluntly, saying it was "not going to get solved quickly." This assessment contradicts more optimistic public messaging and suggests the government is privately preparing for a prolonged struggle with Channel migration.
