16 November 2023 , 13:14
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BBC Breakfast presenter Charlie Stayt grilled James Cleverly for reportedly calling the Rwanda deportation deal "bats***".
The new Home Secretary, who replaced Suella Braverman, appeared on the morning programme and claimed he 'doesn't remember' saying those words about the deportation plan. "Yesterday in the Commons, you were accused of describing the Rwanda system as 'bats**t'. Is it true? Did you say those words?" Charlie asked.
A shocked James looked taken aback before he answered: "I'm not... That was a claim made of me, not something I said, but the point is..." Charlie swooped in to repeat the question: "You didn't say that?" as James kept trying to make 'his point'. In the end, he answered: "Look, it's good for parliamentary theatre.
"The point that I said, and I repeat it, is that the Rwanda scheme is already having a deterrent effect. When we operationalize it and when we get those flights taking off, it will have an even greater deterrent effect, and it will be part of the toolkit that is seeing the applications sped up, the returns increased, the number of raids on illegal employment... people employing illegal migrants significantly increased to 70 percent.
James Cleverly 'doesn't remember' calling the plan 'bats***' (BBC)"This is as I say, is an important part of a range of activities cracking down on illegal migration, and it is working." Charlie went back to repeat his question to the new Home Secretary, adding: "I am happy to give you the time to answer the question I just asked you, did you say that word?"
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"I certainly don't remember saying anything anything like that," James responded. "But then the point is, this is a really important part of our plan, which is already working." Users immediately rushed to social media to comment on the 'car crash' interview, with one user saying: "It’s amazing how much politicians fail to remember or do not recognise."
"The classic “I don’t remember saying that” I.e. I said it but there’s no way I’ll admit to it," another pointed out while one viewer posted: "If he's suffering from that level of memory loss, should he be in such an important role?" The claim about the remark was made by Labour's Yvette Cooper in the Commons yesterday after the Supreme Court torpedoed the Government's flagship plan.
Yesterday Ms Cooper told MPs: "I don't believe the new Home Secretary ever believed in the Rwanda plan. He distanced himself from it and his predecessor's language on it. He may even on occasion have privately called it 'bats***'."
Asked about it again on Sky News, he said: "I don't recognise that phrase, and the point that I've made, and the point I made at the despatch box, is that the Rwanda scheme is an important part - but only a part - of the range of responses we have to illegal migration."