Health minister Stephen Kinnock sparked fury as he attempted to explain how Labour will deal with the ongoing migrant crisis

Stephen Kinnock sparked backlash as he discussed the ongoing migrant crisis on Good Morning Britain. The health minister appeared on Friday’s instalment of the ITV programme alongside presenters Robert Rinder and Kate Garraway, where he was quizzed about the government’s stance on removing migrants from the Bell Hotel in Epping. Earlier in the month, Epping Forest District Council has obtained a temporary High Court injunction preventing asylum seekers from being accommodated at the hotel in Essex. People housed inside the Bell Hotel are due to be moved out by 12 September.

The Labour government attempted to overturn the injunction, reportedly using the argument that “those in the hotel have greater rights than people in the country”. Speaking to the politician, Kate asked: “How has the government got itself on the wrong side of the people of Britain?” Kinnock failed to answer the question directly as he responded: “We are deeply, deeply frustrated by the fact that these hotels are being used for asylum seekers, that is not what these hotels are for. They were often really valued assets in local communities.

“We said in our manifesto that we would get all of the asylum seekers out of hotels, we’re absolutely committed to doing that but we inherited a complete and utter mess on 4th July. The previous government had lost control of the asylum system and we’ve ended up needing to clear up that mess.”

He continued: “What’s really important is that the discharge from the hotels is done in an orderly and managed way.”

The presenter interjected, questioning where the government plans to move illegal migrants if it’s in “national interest” to house them in the short-term.

“We’re looking at disused military barracks, disused office space, disused warehouses. We’re taking action to have those contingency measures in place,” the MP said. “It’s much better if we can do that in a managed way.”

He added: “We’ve seen a huge increase in processing since Labour came to office. You’ve got to process people and if it is established that people don’t have a legitimate case to be here, they have to be removed from our country.”

Stephen Kinnock discussed the ongoing migrant crisis on Good Morning Britain (Image: ITV)

Kinnock’s response sparked fury from viewers, with one raging on X: “The MP didn’t answer the question. What a surprise! With asylum seeker numbers up 50%, that’s a clear sign Labour and Starmer have lost control..”

Another fumed: “I wonder if we will ever see an interview with a Labour MP where they DON’T say the word ‘inherited’.”

A third echoed: “Another minister. No idea. No plan, just blame tories. The country wants these people gone period. Stop the rhetoric action action action.”

Someone else declared: “What a mumbling moron Kinnock is. He is completely out of his depth.”

A fifth posted: “This MP is talking nonsense. No wonder we are all frustrated. Over 58k since Labour have come to power. Beyond shocking statistics.”