Former political editor of The Sun, Trevor Kavanagh, has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer's handling of the migrant crisis, branding the Prime Minister's approach "a joke" during an appearance on GB News.
The comments come as reports suggest Britain is set to return just 50 Channel migrants to France per week under a trial "one in, one out" deal.
The pilot scheme would see small boat migrants sent back to the continent in exchange for the UK accepting asylum seekers in Europe who have British connections.
Kavanagh told GB News: "Well, it’s very depressing, actually. I mean, this is the so-called 'coalition of the willing', but in fact, it’s the coalition of the clueless and the credulous.
Trevor Kavanagh has launched a scathing attack on Sir Keir Starmer's handling of the migrant crisis
GB NEWS
"I think Macron has no idea what to do about the migrants, but he’s very happy to see them paddling off to British shores. And Starmer simply doesn’t care.
"Deep down, the idea that he would ‘smash the gangs’ was always a joke. He never had any intention of seriously tackling this problem.
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"And now we have four more years of this, at the current rate, what is it now? 80,000 so far? That’s going to balloon over the coming years.
"Nothing they’re talking about today, or about to announce, will have any impact on that number, on that invasion, of people who are illegal.
"And that’s the important thing to remember: they’re illegal the moment they set foot on these shores."
He added: "Well, we have no hope at the moment. We will have no hope while this Government is in office.
Keir Starmer’s economic performance ranked poorly compared to his recent predecessorsGETTY"It is the policy and practice of the Left to rename anything that’s unpopular so that it seems like a different problem and they change the ground rules so the counting becomes impossible.
"I think, actually, it’s a calculated attempt to change the face of Britain."
GB News host Ben Leo said: "Me, and probably some viewers at home, share that concern.
"In a statement tonight, the leaders Macron and Starmer said they agree that tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boats is a top priority for this Government.
Over 18,000 small boat migrants have crossed the Channel this yearGETTY"But the devil's in the detail with this deal, isn't it? The press conference is coming imminently, and apparently, we will only be able to return 50 migrants a week which adds up to around 800 a year.
"Bear in mind, we’re receiving between 800 to 1,200 a week anyway, so it seems rather pointless."
Trevor responded: "Well, I think the broad mass of people will have the sense to see that this is nonsense. It’s a confidence trick.
"It’s basically a slap in the face for the British public, who have not been given a say in how their country is being governed for the next four years, nor over the past twelve months. And it’s going to get a lot worse."