Dame Andrea Jenkyns has proposed accommodating migrants in tents instead of hotels as part of her strategy to eliminate what she calls "soft touch Britain".
The former Conservative MP, who now represents Reform UK, argues that comfortable hotel accommodation creates a pull factor encouraging illegal immigration.
Speaking to Camilla Tominey, Jenkyns defended her stance, stating: "We're always going to have this pull factor if we keep offering these kinds of conditions."
She emphasised that while not official party policy, her personal view centres on deterrence through basic temporary accommodation.
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|She emphasised that whilst not official party policy, her personal view centres on deterrence through basic temporary accommodation.
The Reform mayor said: "This is about putting an end to Soft Touch Britain. We’re always going to have this pull factor if we keep offering these kinds of conditions.
"Take the Aspen cards, for example the prepaid cards we give to migrants staying in hotels.
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"They get, what, around £7 a day? We saw in The Telegraph this week that some of that money is being spent on gambling."
Camilla explained: "Yes, I think it was reported that 6,500 transactions had taken place in gambling settings, according to a Freedom of Information request."
Jenkyns responded: "Exactly it’s shocking. And if we don’t put an end to this, people will keep wanting to come over.
"That was the point behind my comment about tents the idea that benefits and comfort shouldn’t be automatically provided.
"British people are struggling. I speak to elderly constituents in Lincolnshire and when I was an MP in Yorkshire too people who are having to choose between heating their homes and paying their council tax or buying food.
"We need to prioritise the British people first. That’s the mentality we need to adopt."
Meanwhile, the Home Office established the National Internet Intelligence Investigations team to scrutinise social media for anti-immigration content.
GETTY | Sir Keir Starmer’s party is facing growing pressure to tackle the small boats crisisOperating from Westminster's National Police Coordination Centre, detectives will "maximise social media intelligence" to detect potential civil disorder.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage condemned the initiative as "sinister" and warned it marked the beginning of "state controlling free speech".
The team's formation follows criticism of police responses to previous year's riots.