HOME Secretary Suella Braverman has sparked outrage over describing the number of migrants crossing the Channel as an “invasion”.
Braverman was in the Commons acknowledging the various reported security breaches that occurred in the lead up to her resignation as home secretary under Liz Truss before referring to the migrant crossings.
She said: “The British people deserve to know which party is serious about stopping the invasion of our southern coast – and which party is not.”
The Home Secretary went on to say that many of those making the dangerous journey were "facilitated by criminal gangs" and that some were "actual members of criminal gangs".
She added: "So let's stop pretending that they are all refugees in distress. The whole country knows that is not true and it's only the honourable members opposite who pretend otherwise ...
"I, madam deputy speaker, am utterly serious about ending the scourge of illegal migration and I am determined to do whatever it takes to break criminal gangs and fix our helplessly lax asylum system."
Responding to Braverman's comments on Twitter, SNP MP Anne McLaughlin said she was "disgusted" by her statement.
She wrote: "Disgusted, absolutely disgusted to hear a Home Secretary deliberately use inflammatory language about vulnerable asylum seekers - 'scourge', 'invasion'. Here's a word for you @SuellaBraverman - SHAMEFUL."
Disgusted, absolutely disgusted to hear a Home Secretary deliberately use inflammatory language about vulnerable asylum seekers - 'scourge', 'invasion'. Here's a word for you @SuellaBraverman - SHAMEFUL.
— Anne McLaughlin SNP MP (@AnneMcLaughlin) October 31, 2022
Braverman's comments follow accusations that she "ignored" legal advice that the Home Office was breaking the law by keeping asylum seekers in overcrowded and disease-ridden processing centres for too long.
It had been reported that Braverman was told as recently as three weeks ago that migrants were being kept in overcrowded centres in Manston in Kent for unlawful lengths of time.
Under current legislation, migrants are not supposed to be held in processing centres for longer than 24 hours.
More controversy sprung up about her first tenure as home secretary as it was revealed that she had sent official documents between her government and personal email accounts as many as six times.
She confessed that she had sent official documents between the two emails between September 6 and October 19.
Since then, the Scottish Greens have insisted Braverman should be sacked.
