BBC Question Time took a sharp turn for the awkward on Thursday night when presenter Fiona Bruce called out a senior Tory over his party’s failed Rwanda asylum plan.
Conservative chairman Nigel Huddleston tried to criticise Labour’s decision to scrap the scheme, claiming, “The first thing they did when they came into government was scrap any disincentive, was scrap the deterrent. They still don’t have a deterrent.”
But Bruce quickly cut in, pointing out, “Even when you were in government, Nigel, you didn’t actually get anyone to Rwanda. I think it’s just worth pointing that out.”
Her comment drew laughter and applause from the audience, leaving Huddleston visibly flustered.
🌍 Starmer’s New Approach
The clash came after Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed plans for “return hubs” in other countries. These centres would handle asylum seekers who have failed to secure the right to stay in the UK.
Speaking in Albania, Starmer said, “These would be used when someone has been through the system in the UK and needs to be returned.”
🌱 Green Party Fires Back
Not everyone was impressed. Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party, accused Starmer of copying the Tories.
She said, “Mere months after rightly denouncing the last government’s failed Rwanda scheme as a gimmick and a waste of taxpayer money, Starmer is now looking for his own knock-off version.”
Denyer added, “Instead of wasting more taxpayer money trying to look tough, it’s time Starmer got a grip of the real driving force behind smuggling gangs: the fact that for most people who might need and be eligible to seek asylum in the UK, there is simply no safe and managed way to do so.”
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