Ann Widdecombe’s latest comment on asylum seekers sparked a fierce debate, as some applauded her for defending Reform UK’s stance
Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe was applauded over her comments about asylum seekers during Monday’s appearance on Jeremy Vine. The veteran politician, known for her blunt style, made a three-word remark that left viewers taking to social media in their droves.
Show host Vine said: “You are accused of whipping up anger rather than fixing problems. So, yeah, that’s your party, Ann, whipping up anger.”
Not missing a beat, the MP responded: “The anger’s already there. The frustration’s already there. The failed policies are already there,” highlighting the growing public frustration with the government’s handling of immigration
During the discussion, Widdecombe also argued that previous governments had failed to effectively manage the asylum system. “This problem is now being addressed. It wasn’t being addressed before. There was a lot of very ineffectual exchange of blame going on, but not much being addressed,” she said.
Ann Widdecombe appeared on Jeremy Vine’s TV show on Monday. (Image: Getty)
Her comments ignited a heated debate on the show, but Widdecombe defended her position, insisting that Reform is right to be addressing changes to the asylum system.
“The significance of what Reform has done is to say, we are going to address this problem. This is what we’re going to do, some of which has now been copied by the other parties. And people feel a relief that politicians are taking it seriously,” she explained.
It comes as Labour has said it is planning to overhaul its “broken” asylum system. As MPs returned to Westminster on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will speak about the government’s success in tackling people smugglers and plans for border security reform.
Labour hopes that the raft of changes being proposed will contribute to ending the use of asylum hotels, an issue which has led to widespread protests over the summer.
Cooper is reportedly set to make planned changes to the refugee family reunion process to give “greater fairness and balance”, and speak to the government’s promise to “smash the gangs” behind English Channel crossings.
In a message to Reform UK, which has promised mass deportations, and the Tories, who want to revive the Rwanda scheme, Cooper shared: “These are complex challenges, and they require sustainable and workable solutions, not fantasy promises which can’t be delivered.”
She will also give further details around measures announced over the summer, including the UK’s landmark returns deal with France, and update MPs on reforms to the asylum appeals process.
However shadow home secretary Chris Philp dismissed Ms Cooper’s intervention as a “desperate distraction tactic”, reiterating record levels of illegal Channel crossings, the rise in the use of asylum hotels and the highest number of asylum claims in history in Labour’s first year.
