Michael Portillo was left staggered on GB News when guest Stella Tsantekidou linked Reform UK’s deportation proposals to the Gaza conflict, warning her that there is a risk the stance could “alienate British voters.”
The former Labour aide launched the tirade after Reform UK’s leader set out plans to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and strike bilateral return agreements with countries including Eritrea and Afghanistan.
The heated exchange saw Michael accuse Tsantekidou of being “detached from the concerns of the British people” as the debate over Farage’s immigration plan took an extraordinary turn.
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Stella Tsantekidou linked Reform UK’s deportation proposals to the Gaza conflict
|GB NEWS
Kicking off the chat, Tsantekidou said: "Nigel Farage loves slogans, but he has zero solutions. My question is, why?
"If he is so concerned about refugees, why does he not call for Israel to stop carpet bombing Gaza which is what is creating refugees to begin with? If he really does think that way"
Michael, shocked, interrupted and said: "You think the people who are arriving in Britain are coming from Gaza? I think they’re coming from elsewhere."
Tsantekidou clarified: "No, they’re not coming from Gaza at the moment, but they will eventually. So surely if your main concern is refugees the refugee crisis you would want to stop the situation where it begins.
"You would want to solve the problem at its root. Where do you think the millions of people from Gaza are going to go? Who is going to take them?"
Later, Michael said: "I get the feeling that the result of this immigration policy is that Farage is giving people the impression that he’s on their side, while the Conservatives and Labour have other priorities and other agendas.
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"And I fear that when people hear you, in response to our immigration issue, start going on about Gaza which is not part of the problem, at least today they may feel that you are very detached.
"That you’re not on the side of British people who have this great worry."
Tsantekidou said: "Has the Labour Party not already said we need to reconsider how the ECHR is applied in our courts?
Michael Portillo was left astonished by the comments
|GB NEWS
"That we are going to reform our asylum system? That we are going to remove judicial oversight from parts of the process? That we are going to make it so criminals can be deported more easily?
"People who should not be here, who do not have the right to be here, will be deported more easily.
"That is the actual, practical, boring solution. It doesn’t grab the headlines in the same way when Nigel Farage speaks."