A SCOTTISH singer has condemned Suella Braverman for her Tory conference speech on immigration.
The Home Secretary came in for criticism when she warned a “hurricane” of mass migration is coming as she claimed “millions” could seek to enter the UK.
Last week, Braverman also claimed at a speech in Washington that asylum seekers pretend to be gay to “game the system” and get “special treatment”.
Speaking on BBC’s Debate Night, Scottish singer Horse McDonald said she was “worried” and “shocked” by the language used.
“Some of the language around asylum seekers really shocked me… some of the countries these people come from, they will die, they will be killed for being [gay]”@Horsemusic describes her concerns over Suella Braverman’s comments on immigration#bbcdn https://t.co/6RrJDHuQBM pic.twitter.com/MA0TPiDbQh
— BBC Debate Night (@bbcdebatenight) October 4, 2023
“For me a lot of this is about the language. It’s not about facts or information. When I heard that speech, that really just worried me," she said.
“A lot of people act and believe these statements are based on figures and facts. There’s a big difference between natural migration, illegal migration, asylum seekers and some of the language around asylum seekers shocked me.
“She [Braverman] pretty much said that people were pretending to be gay to get access to our country. No one chooses to be gay I can assure you and some of the countries these people come from, they will die, they will be killed for being that.
“So that kind of language is abhorrent. So for me I would like to hear figures, actual figures of the migrants and we are lazy in this country, some of these people will do jobs we don’t care about doing.
“I think it’s really important to welcome people who are prepared to work.”
Elsewhere, the SNP’s depute leader Keith Brown also appeared on the programme, who compared Braverman to Enoch Powell – claims which were already rejected by Grant Shapps (below).
Describing Braverman’s speech as “horrendous”, Brown said: “I think the ability for us to continue and improve services like health and education, our economy, rely on proper migration.
“We had a thing a few years back called the Fresh Talent Initiative where Scotland was given a little bit of dispensation to attract people from around the world who had real skills and abilities.
“I recently hosted a Ukrainian family for six months – they were refugees not immigrants I concede that point.
“Each one of them were desperate to work. They all had skills, both the mother and father had skills we’re desperately crying out for.
“We need a proper immigration policy which does encourage people to come to this country to contribute to the economy which they want to do.
“But the one thing we can’t have is the horrendous kind of rhetoric that was used by Suella Braverman this week.”
