"Beyond awful" - Lineker responds to Braverman after Tories' asylum seeker plan

07 March 2023 , 15:49

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Gary Lineker has slammed the plans from the Home Secretary (Image: The News Agents)

Gary Lineker has branded the Tories' latest plan to imprison asylum seekers entering the UK as "beyond awful".

Home secretary Suella Braverman announced the plans to the House of Commons on Tuesday, stating that asylum seekers who arrive in the UK on small boats will be detained without the possibility of bail.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined Ms Braverman as she formally unveil her plans to remove and ban asylum seekers from re-entry if they arrive in the UK through unauthorised means, with critics hitting out at the cruelty of the Tories.

BBC Sport presenter Lineker - who welcomed a second refugee into Surrey home in October last year - has criticised the move, quote tweeting a video of Ms Braverman claiming that "Enough is enough. We must stop the boats" with the words "Good heavens, this is beyond awful".

A Twitter user then replied to Lineker's assertions stating that "they could 'stop the boats' tomorrow by opening processing centres in France but they don't want to. They would rather have the optics and language of 'invasion' to enrage their flagging base."

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The former England footballer replied to the tweet with a simple "Yep".

In the Commons, Ms Braverman told MPs: “For a Government not to respond to waves of illegal migrants breaching our borders would be to betray the will of the people we were elected to serve.

Lineker hit out at Braverman's plans on Twitter (Gary Lineker Twitter)

“They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed.

“Removed back to your country if it is safe, or to a safe third country like Rwanda. And that is precisely what this Bill will do. That is how we will stop the boats.”

The Bill allows the detention of illegal arrivals without bail or judicial review within the first 28 days of detention, until they can be removed, Ms Braverman said.

It also places a duty on the Home Secretary to remove illegal entrants and it will “radically narrow the number of challenges and appeals that can suspend removal”.

Suella Braverman revealed the plans in the House of Commons

Only children under the age of 18, and those who are “unfit to fly or at a real risk of serious and irreversible harm – an exceedingly high bar – in the country we are removing them to will be able to delay their removal”, she said.

Any other claims will be heard “remotely” after removal.

Mr Sunak has argued that his new Illegal Migration Bill, which is key to one of his five priorities for his premiership, will “take back ­control of our borders, once and for all”.

But critics have warned that the proposals are “unworkable” and will leave thousands of migrants in limbo by banning them from ever claiming British citizenship again.

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Despite plans such as forcibly removing asylum seekers to Rwanda being mired in legal challenges, ministers are expected to approach the limits of the European Convention on Human Rights with the new legislation.

Press Association