Diane Abbott says 'migrants have f****d off to bottom of the sea' after 41 die in shipwreck
Independent MP Diane Abbott has reacted to the to the news that 41 people have died in the Mediterranean
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Independent MP Diane Abbott has reacted to the to the news that 41 people have died in the Mediterranean after their ship sank by saying: “These migrants have indeed f***** off. To the bottom of the sea.”
The former shadow home secretary shared her thoughts on X after 41 people died after a migrant boat capsized off Tunisia.
It remains unclear whether Abbott's X account has been hacked.
A group of four people who survived the disaster told rescuers that they were on a boat that had set off from Sfax in Tunisia and sank on its way to Italy.
It remains unclear whether Abbott's X account has been hacked
The four survivors - originally from the Ivory Coast and Guinea - reached Lampedusa on Wednesday, according to the BBC.
Abbott's tweet is in reference to deputy Tory chair Lee Anderson’s comment that asylum seekers who do not want to stay on a barge should “f*** off back to France.”
The first group of 15 migrants arrived on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset on Monday, however it emerged that 20 did not board after their transfers were "cancelled" by refugee charity lawyers.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick suggested that the UK could leave the European Convention on Human Rights in order to push through its asylum policy, saying: “We will do whatever is required, take whatever necessary action is needed."
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk also supported Anderson, saying the MP had spoken “a lot of sense”.
The barge, which was designed to fit about 200 people, has a 500-person capacity according to the Government.
Rishi Sunak’s plan to place asylum seekers on the barge has faced a series of setbacks.
Firefighters have described the vessel docked off the Dorset coast as a “potential death trap” due to fire risk and overcrowding.
The first group of 15 migrants arrived on the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset on Monday, however it emerged that 20 did not board after their transfers were 'cancelled' by refugee charity lawyers
PA
The barge once housed oil and gas workers and has been occupied by asylum seekers in other countries in the past.
It has been selected as an alternative to housing migrants in expensive hotels, with asylum seekers set to stay on board for three to six months.
Ministers have pointed to the need to take drastic action to cut down on the £6million daily spend on housing asylum seekers in hotels.
More than 93m long and three storeys high, the Bibby Stockholm is the first vessel to be commandeered by Home Secretary Suella Braverman.