The borders minister has handed Labour MPs a stark warning to toe the party line on the Government's freshly-announced asylum reforms.
Alex Norris told GB News presenters Christopher Hope and Ellie Costello he plans to "listen closely" to colleagues and ask them "not to defend a status quo that isn't working for anyone".
As it stands, Shabana Mahmood is eyeing up an overhaul to Britain's human rights laws in a bid to hike the number of deportations of illegal migrants and foreign criminals from British soil.
But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Home Secretary are facing a backlash from fellow MPs as Ms Mahmood gears up to detail her plans to Parliament this afternoon.
Mr Norris urged his parliamentary colleagues to toe the party line
|GB NEWS
Speaking to the People's Channel, Mr Norris dismissed claims from some Labour MPs the Government’s new immigration plans are racist, saying: “Well, I know what they want. And again, I think it's what your viewers want as well.
“They want an ordered system where people don't come irregularly, where people don't jump the queue, meaning that those who have legitimate asylum claims aren't able to get them processed swiftly and on with their lives.
“And I know that they want one that reflects our values of compassion.
"I want those things too, but I say to my colleagues, I'll be talking to them, or listening closely to them as I will across Parliament, and to the British public, that we need a system that is ordered at our borders.
“We need that control. If we don't, we won't have the confidence of the British public, and we will lose permission on the asylum system.
"So I'd ask them not to defend a status quo that isn't working for anyone.”
Former Labour MP Diane Abbott has voiced her condemnation of the "draconian, unworkable and potentially illegal" plans, claiming "they only feed Reform's support".
She fumed: "The Government has learnt nothing from the period since the General Election.
BRITAIN'S MIGRANT CRISIS - READ MORE:
Shabana Mahmood will announce the plans in detail today | PA"Some of the legal changes being proposed are truly frightening."
Left-wing pressure group Momentum have also blasted the proposals.
In a statement, it said: "The Home Secretary’s new immigration plans are divisive and xenophobic. Scapegoating migrants will not fix our public services or end austerity.
"The Government must fundamentally change course. Refugees are welcome here."
Meanwhile, Labour MP Tony Vaughan urged the Government to "think again" on its plans, saying that "the idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong".
"The rhetoric around these reforms encourages the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities," he added.
"The Government is wrong to think that reviews of safety in the person's country every few years will mean refugees can be returned at scale."
His post was shared online by several backbenchers, including Clive Lewis who on Saturday became the first Labour MP to call on Sir Keir step down as PM and for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to take the reins.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter