11 July 2023 , 16:16
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Rishi Sunak has been savagely mocked as Tory efforts to tackle small boats were torn to shreds in the Commons.
Labour Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock branded the Tory handling of the asylum system a "shambles" and said it's time for a General Election so his party can sort it out.
He lashed out at the PM for heading to Dover last month for a "victory jig" after boat crossings dropped slightly - only for them to skyrocket in the following weeks.
MPs including former PM Theresa May lined up to criticise Suella Braverman's cruel Illegal Migration Bill.
Mr Kinnock, referring to the PM's visit to the Kent coast, said: "There he was sporting his oversized new boots and boasting about the slight decrease in crossings whilst apparently failing to realise that strong winds in the Channel were the actual cause of his somewhat premature celebrations."
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In June, he pointed out, a record 3,824 people arrived by small boat as he accused ministers of trying to "manufacture headlines rather than tackle the asylum crisis".
Rishi Sunak was mocked for a 'victory jig' in Dover before crossings skyrocketed (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Theresa May warned the Government bill would 'consign more people to slavery' (PA)In a dig at the PM - who appeared at a briefing wearing distinctive large brown boots - Kinnock continued: "Since he danced his victory jig in Dover we've seen Channel crossings skyrocket with the best June yet for the criminal people smugglers."
He warned that the bill - which will see human trafficking protections removed from those who arrive by small boats - would be a "traffickers charter".
The bill would see people who arrive by small boats denied protections under the Modern Slavery Act, which has sparked widespread outrage. Former PM Mrs May told MPs it will "consign more people to slavery".
She told MPs that a woman trapped in slavery would get no support, stating: "The Government's response would be 'we don't care that you've been in slavery in the UK, we don't care that you've been in a living hell, we don't care that you have been the victim of crime.
"'We do care that you came here illegally even though you probably didn't know it, so we're going to detain you and send you home even if it's into the arms of the very people who trafficked you here in the first place or we want to send you to Rwanda.'"
In spite of Mrs May's pleas, the Government's cruel plans passed the Commons by a narrow majority of 285 to 243.
Labour Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said it was evidence the Tories had "given up on both common decency and common sense".
She said: “This Bill is a con which will make things easier for criminal gangs and make the asylum backlog even worse. Hotel use is still going up, yet this Bill will only result in even more people in a permanent and costly backlog."
Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described it as the "worst piece of legislation " he had seen in his 18 years as an MP.
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Stephen Kinnock branded Tory handling of the asylum system a "shambles"Home Secretary Suella Braverman was not in the chamber to hear her flagship bill come under fire from across the political spectrum.
MPs considered a string of amendments put forward by the House of Lords - including concerns about the detention of children.
In her absence it fell to Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick to defend the Government plans. He told the Commons: "The stop-the-boats Bill is designed to ensure the UK can be an even greater force for good in the world by using our finite resources on those who truly need it."
He added: "It's vital that this Bill reaches the statute book quickly, and in a form that will stop the boats. It is riddled with exceptions and get-out clauses as currently placed in by the (House of Lords).
"If that happens it will simply not work. We have to send a clear message back to the (House of Lords) that it is now their turn to think again and to respect the will of the elected House."
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