Sir Keir Starmer “kowtowing to China” will “not solve Britain’s economic woes”, Matt Vickers has told GB News.
Speaking to the People’s Channel, the Deputy Conservative Party Chair hit out at the Prime Minister’s visit to Beijing, questioning whether the Government “understands the threat” China poses to Britain.
Speaking to GB News in Beijing, Sir Keir told Political Editor Christopher Hope of his meeting with President Xi Jinping and how it was a “productive session”.
He said: “We had a very good, productive session with real concrete outcomes and it was a real strengthening of the relationship.
“And that’s in the national interest, because of course, there are huge opportunities here in China. It’s the second biggest economy in the world and that’s why we’ve got such a big business delegation.”
Criticising Sir Keir’s trip, Mr Vickers told GB News: “I think there’s a huge concern out there in the country as to whether the Government actually understands the threat posed by China.
“He’s talking about sophisticated relationships – it’s a very sophisticated relationship that probably uses very sophisticated methods when you’ve got spies in Parliament.
“Or in fact, that new super embassy, that spy hub that’s opening in central London, people are concerned about whether the Government has a grasp of the scale of this threat. And they also don’t think that China is necessarily the solution to all of our economic woes.”
Accusing Labour of “not being on the side of Britons”, he added: “A lot of the problems that we’re faced with in this country were created in Downing Street.
“There was increases in business rates that jobs tax, the changes to the employment rates bill and what they mean for businesses across the country.
Matt Vickers has hit out at Keir Starmer’s visit to Beijing, accusing the Prime Minister of ‘kowtowing to China’
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GB NEWS
“This Government is not on the side of people who are working hard, who are doing the right thing, who are creating economic growth, creating jobs, going over to China and kowtowing to people who pose a threat to our national security is not the way to solve this country’s economic woes.”
The top Tory also took aim at Sir Keir’s agreement with China on small boat engines, declaring the move a “gimmick” which the British people will “see right through”.
He told GB News: “I think everybody at home will take this as what it is, they will see it for the gimmick.
“It’s such a remote situation that actually it’s a bit like the one in, one out scheme, the boomerang scheme, where I think since this deal was signed, about 21,000 people have arrived in the country, and the very, very, very vast majority of them have got to stay.
“But this gimmick that we’re hearing today from China, everybody at home knows the only way you solve this problem is for those people who get in those boats to know they will not be allowed to stay in this country. That’s what has to happen.”
Keir Starmer is currently in Bejing after approving China’s new super embassy | POOL
Making clear the Britain “needs a deterrent” to prevent the surging small boat crossings, Mr Vickers said: “The National Crime Agency will tell you we have to have a deterrent. We have to tell people that if you break into this country, you will not get to stay. No ifs, no buts, that’s how we solve it. It’s common sense.
“We know it worked because we saw it happen when we had the agreement with Albania, one of the top places from which people are arriving.
“The minute those people started going home, the number of them arriving in the country fell by 93 per cent. We need to leave the ECHR. Those people who break in this country need to be detained and deported, no ifs, no buts.”
Pushing back on Mr Vickers’s argument, host Nana Akua argued: “To be fair, it was under your Government that all of this sort of kicked off, and you had a chance to get us out of the ECHR and also fix the crisis, and you guys didn’t do it.
“So to be fair to him [Keir Starmer], I don’t think they’re doing the right thing, but let’s be honest, neither did you guys?”
Mr Vickers told GB News that cosying up to China will ‘not solve our economic woes’
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GB NEWS
Mr Vickers responded: “Kemi and I have both said mistakes were made by previous Governments, major mistakes.
“They didn’t move fast enough, they weren’t decisive enough. We’ve set out a pitch, we will leave the ECHR, we will detain these people. We will deport them.
“We will reduce the number of people arriving in this country. It’s very clear, we’ve got the details, we’ve done the work.
“There is a detailed document prepared by great legal minds with a real formed plan of how we would do it if we came to office tomorrow. In fact, we’d love the Government to pick up our plan today and get on with the job.”
Nana hit back: “I doubt they will, but I’ll take your word for it – although it’s easy to say things in opposition.”