Hunt brushes off Tory MP’s idea of sending asylum seekers to Orkney
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has brushed off the suggestion from a Conservative Party deputy chairman that asylum seekers could be held on Orkney if the Rwanda plan fails.
Lee Anderson – who has become known for controversial statements in the past – told GB News this week that those who have fled their countries and come to the UK could be held on a remote Scottish island until their applications are processed.
His comments came after the Supreme Court ruled the current plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda is unlawful.
Colourful
Asked about the remarks, Mr Hunt told Sky News on Thursday: “Lee will always have colourful suggestions, as he always does actually in British politics.
“But the fact of the matter is we will do what it takes to stop the boats, and I think we’ve had that clarity from Rishi Sunak.”
Mr Anderson had said: “I know it’s a bit parky up there this time of year. But if people are genuinely escaping war or persecution then a nice Scottish island with a few outbuildings would be suitable.
“This is a beautiful country. Parts of Scotland are a ‘go to’ destination, the remote islands – I’d like to be able to afford a place up there.
“If we can get some accommodation up there, keep these people safe – these people want to be safe, they’re fleeing so-called persecution from these war-torn countries.
“If we can find an island in the Orkneys or up there that’s got no-one on there to start off with, put some decent accommodation on, then it’s job done.”
Criticism
The comments drew criticism from Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael, who said the idea is “not a serious proposition”.
The Liberal Democrat MP said: “I would be astonished if Lee Anderson could even find Orkney – or in his words ‘the Orkneys’ – on a map.
“His remarks show inhumanity towards desperate and vulnerable people – and disdain towards island communities to boot.
“Anderson has form for brainstorming Tory policy live on air. Obviously, this is a novel sort of brainstorming as it does not actually involve the engagement of a brain, but instead looks more like an exercise in corralling as many prejudices as possible into one space and calling it a policy.”
He said the comments are an attempt to “kick up dust and distract attention from the complete failure of this Government to manage our asylum and immigration system”.
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Could we round up Tory MPs & Donors & send them to Orkney instead? I’m sure our Scottish brothers & sisters would support us 100% in doing this? 😉
I doubt our Orkney brothers ad sisters would though. Rwanda already has accommodation for them and according to Suella Braverman the resort in Rwanda is her dream come true. It should be where they hold all their conferences going forward.
Maybe Suella will be “resettled” there soon. She seems to be ideal material for the Camp Commander role in some remote outpost where her most extreme ideas can be implemented away from scrutiny.
How about the Islas Malvinas? The tories are always banging on about our glorious victory over Argentina after all.
Yeah. And they seem to love a Union Jack over there.
I’d send them to St. Kilda.
Sums up this low life he was a member of labour got chucked out for his right wing views he boasts he was a miner to myself he was a SCAB who worked during the Strike he was part of the Breakaway union U D M the UNION OF DEMOCRATIC MINERS a SCAB union that was only formed to break our strike but the great part is after the strike they not only shut our pits but the pits in NOTTINGAM area which was where the SCAB union was but he was a SCAB THE LOWEST FORM OF LIFE TO… Read more »
For the sake of the rest of us, 30p Lee should be sent to Rockall; it’s amply big enough for his small-minded views.
Why pick on Rockall ? Send him with Suella to remote bit of Rwanda and check out how well his brand of “enlightenment” goes down there.
ARTD’s best mate. The bloke is a known quantity and we know what he is.
Sunak let Braverman back in and let this turnip become deputy chair. Now post autumn statement we see the mess it is.
The same Sunak who didn’t listen to anyone with regards eat out to die out.
Will it cost 30p? Brushing aside a nutty banckbencher is one thing. 30p Lee is in a high position within his party. Still a great push for the Orkney debate on who they align too.
The Orkney (and Shetland) islands are never referenced in any matter barely even a weather forecast. The most forgotten outposts around these islands but now ‘not even worth 30p Lee’ is targeting the Orkney islands on the grounds that they are ‘ours’. Now might be the time for the islanders there to beef up their plans to join with Norway and tell Leenoch to check in on Gibraltar or the Falklands and see how that goes.