Watch the moment GB News host Alex Armstrong brutally shuts down Andrew Bowie in a fiery clash, after he accused the Labour Government of having “no plan” to tackle illegal migration.
Discussing the issue on the People’s Channel, the Shadow Energy Secretary launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for having “no plan” to stop it despite vowing to “smash the gangs”.
Reflecting on US President Donald Trump’s approach to illegal migration following his State of the Union address, Mr Bowie was questioned by host Ellie Costello on whether the UK needs to take a more “Trump” approach to small boat crossings.
He responded: “What’s quite clear is that President Trump is incredibly proud of his country and he has got a lot of support in that country.
“But I think in terms of his speech, our version, the King’s Speech, the state opening of Parliament, I think I prefer that to the American way of doing things.”
Hitting out at Labour’s policy on tackling illegal migration, the Tory MP accused the Government of having “absolutely no plan”.
He told GB News: “On his claims regarding legal immigration, it’s quite clear that the Trump administration has come down hard on illegal immigration into the United States of America.
“That’s something that the people who elected him to that office wanted him to do, and he seems to be delivering what we need to see in this country.”
Alex Armstrong clashed with Tory MP Andrew Bowie after hitting out at Labour’s illegal immigration plan
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GB NEWS
Mr Bowie swiped: “Our policy is being brought forward by this Government to deal with the situation we have here.
“Labour came into office promising they were going to smash the gangs and stop the boats, but without any plan to actually do that.
“And what we’ve seen is that month on month, more and more people are coming into this country illegally because this Government has got absolutely no plan to deal with the gangs, to deal with the boats.”
Outlining the latest Tory policy on illegal migration, Mr Bowie made clear that the Tories under Kemi Badenoch will “leave the ECHR” and deport “anybody who arrives illegally”.
He said: “What we want to do is get out of the ECHR and deport anybody that comes into this country illegally the moment their feet touch the soil.
“It’s about fairness, it’s about doing the right thing for the British people, and that’s what we would do if we would return to Government in three years time.”
New data has revealed that around two-thirds of small boat migrants successfully reach Britain | GETTY
Pushing back on Mr Bowie’s remarks, host Alex Armstrong challenged the Tory minister, arguing that the migration crisis began “under the last Tory Government”.
He told Mr Bowie: “This crisis started under the previous Conservative Government, and it was skyrocketing during that time and there wasn’t much of a plan to fix it then.”
Interjecting Alex, the Tory MP hit back: “I disagree, there was there was a plan. We spent an inordinate amount of time in that building behind me, an inordinate amount of public money trying to bring forward the Rwanda scheme, which would have acted as a deterrent.”
Alex then swiped: “Which your own party and your own people were infighting over and trying to destroy within itself? You weren’t even united on a plan to stop the small boats, were you?”
Mr Bowie told GB News that the Rwanda plan ‘would have acted as a deterrent’
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GB NEWS
Mr Bowie responded: “We passed the Rwanda scheme multiple times in the House of Commons.
“It was rejected by activists, leftie lawyers in the courts and Labour peers in the House of Lords. That’s why we weren’t able to get it off the ground.
“And the very first thing that Labour did when they came into office before it had even been proven that could have worked, was to scrap the Rwanda plan with no scheme to replace, it and I think that’s unforgivable given the situation we’re in right now.”
In a statement, a Home Office spokesman said: “This Government is bearing down on small boat crossings.
“We have stopped 40,000 crossing attempts since this Government came into office through our joint work with the French.
“We have removed or deported almost 60,000 people who were here illegally. Our pilot deal with the French means those who arrive on small boats are now being sent back.
“The Home Secretary has also announced the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times, removing the incentives that bring illegal migrants to the UK and scaling up the return of those with no right to be here.”