Rishi Sunak today warned Britain would become the ‘soft touch of Europe’ on illegal migration if Labour wins power at Thursday’s general election.
The Prime Minister ramped up his attacks on Sir Keir Starmer and claimed the Labour leader ‘doesn’t have a plan’ to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel.
With just three days left until polling day, Mr Sunak reiterated his accusation that migrants in Calais are waiting for Labour to be elected before journeying to the UK.
Britain’s general election is being held at a time when support across Europe is shifting towards populist right-wing parties with hardline attitudes on migration.
At the recent European Parliament elections, Germany’s Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), Austria’s Freedom Party, and the Brothers of Italy, all saw increased support.
Hungary leader Viktor Orban has since taken on the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council with a Donald Trump-style ‘Make Europe Great Again’ slogan.
And, in France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won the first round of voting in snap parliamentary elections.
Sir Keir, who describes himself as a ‘socialist’ and a ‘progressive’, today admitted he would need to address voters’ ‘everyday concerns’ if he becomes PM on Friday.
He also appeared to suggest – if he fails to show ‘only progressives have the answers’ – the UK might also see a populist surge.
In other twists and turns in the election campaign today:
- Labour has unveiled a pillow with a racy image of Mr Sunak in bed and the message: ‘Don’t wake up to 5 more years of the Tories.’
- Ed Davey has been bungee jumping in his latest wacky campaign stunt;
- Home Secretary James Cleverly has hit out at a Banksy stunt at Glastonbury where an inflatable small boat was deployed across the crowd.
Rishi Sunak today warned Britain would become the ‘soft touch of Europe’ on illegal migration if Labour wins power at Thursday’s general election
The Prime Minister ramped up his attacks on Sir Keir Starmer and claimed the Labour leader ‘doesn’t have a plan’ to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel
People are pictured waving to a smuggler’s boat in an attempt to cross the English Channel, on the beach of Gravelines, near Dunkirk, northern France, on April 26
In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally won the first round of voting in snap parliamentary elections
Sir Keir appeared to suggest – if he fails to show ‘only progressives have the answers’ – the UK could also see a populist surge
The Labour leader was asked on a campaign visit to Hitchin Town Football Club in Hertfordshire what lessons he drew from the success of National Rally in France.
‘The lesson that I take from nationalism or populism wherever it is across Europe – obviously we’re seeing the results emerging from France – but we also see the situation in other countries across Europe and across the world,’ Sir Keir said.
‘The lesson I take from that is that we need to address the everyday concerns of so many people in this country who feel disaffected by politics who feel on this Thursday either that the country’s too broken to be mended or that they can’t trust politicians because of what the Tories have done after the last 14 years.
‘We have to take that head on and we have to show both Thursday in the UK and across Europe and the world that only progressives have the answers to the challenges that are facing us in this country and across Europe.
‘We have to make that progressive cause but we have to, in making that, understand why it is certainly in the UK after 14 years of chaos and failure that people do feel disaffected with politics – return politics to service and continue to make that argument that politics is a force for good.’
But, during his own campaign visit in Staffordshire, Mr Sunak suggested the UK would become the ‘soft touch of Europe’ on illegal migration under a Labour government.
Challenged over his claim that migrants in Calais are waiting for a Labour government before making the crossing, the PM told broadcasters: ‘That’s what the illegal migrants themselves in Calais are saying.
‘They know Rwanda is not somewhere they would like to go, it is a deterrent. It’s very simple – I don’t think illegal migrants should get to stay in our country.’
Mr Sunak added: ‘A vote for anyone else just means that we are going to become the soft touch of Europe when it comes to illegal migration.
‘We’ve had two debates head-to-head and anyone who has watched them will have seen that Keir Starmer just simply can’t answer the question – what would he do with illegal migrants that come to our country. He doesn’t have a plan, I have a plan.’
The PM is stepping up grim warnings about Britain under Labour government as the election campaign enters its final phase.
Mr Sunak kicked off a three-day blitz by visiting Staffordshire, with fears running high that Sir Keir is on track for a ‘supermajority’.
Speaking to a group of workers, he acknowledged ‘frustration’ with the Tories but warned that Labour had ‘no answers’ and think about their own ‘bank accounts’ as well as the nation’s security.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir has been challenged over whether he would be the least popular Labour leader ever to enter No10.
Conservatives have been laying out a grim vision of how life could change with Sir Keir in No10, cautioning that he will ‘rig’ the electoral system to cement his grip on power, by handing 16 and 17-year-old the vote.
They are also hammering the message that Labour will hike taxes more than they are admitting, as well as delighting Vladimir Putin by weakening the UK’s defences.
Meanwhile, the Opposition has been forced to deny they will bow to union pressure to bring in a four-day week.
Mr Sunak has seized on the England football team’s comeback win as he tried to rally Conservatives for the last push.
The PM posted a picture of himself celebrating along with the message ‘it’s not over until it’s over’ after the late Euros victory last night.
There have been claims that Boris Johnson is Mr Sunak’s best hope of blunting the attack from Reform UK’s Nigel Farage.
Focus groups by More in Common found that the ex-PM could woo back wavering voters as he has ‘some of the same authenticity/boldness qualities they like in Farage’.
Mr Sunak posted a picture of himself celebrating along with the message ‘it’s not over until it’s over’ after the late England Euros victory last night
There have been claims that Boris Johnson (pictured) is the Tories’ best hope of blunting the attack from Nigel Farage
It was recently reported how migrants in northern France are waiting for a Labour government before crossing the Channel following Sir Keir’s pledge to scrap the Tories’ Rwanda deportation scheme if he takes office.
A 43-year-old Peshmerga fighter from Iraq, who was imprisoned by ISIS, told The Telegraph that he was waiting until after general election to travel to Britain.
‘It’s better to wait for two weeks, I would like to wait for two weeks,’ he said.
‘We need to wait until the new government has arrived. It’s [Rwanda] a really bad decision, it’s more politics and business. Have some mercy on the refugees.’
An elderly Iraqi woman told the newspaper she had been waiting a ‘very long time’ to cross.
‘I will not go until the day they make the right decision to destroy Rwanda. I am looking forward to a new government. If things change, I will go,’ she said.
Home Office figures released today showed 217 people arrived on small boats across the Channel yesterday, taking the total for the first six months of the year to a record high of 13,491.
Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock said: ‘These numbers speak for themselves. This is the highest total for small boat arrivals at the half-way point of the year, 18 per cent up on the same period in 2023.
‘Indeed, since Rishi Sunak called the election there have been 12 times the number of people crossing the Channel that can be deported to Rwanda in a whole year.
‘All that is squarely down to Rishi Sunak. He promised the people of Britain that he would stop the boats, and he has broken that promise.’
Back on the campaign trail today for the final few days, Mr Sunak said: ‘It’s a big week, I’m going to cut straight to it. I know many of you who supported us in the past have some hesitations about doing that again.
‘I know you’re frustrated with me, frustrated with our party, it hasn’t been an easy few years for anybody, I get all of that, we haven’t got everything right, we’ve made mistakes. I appreciate and hear your frustration.
‘But when you go to the polls on Thursday you have to remember this is not a by-election. This is a choice about who governs our country for years and I would urge you not to sleepwalk into that, think about what that will mean for you and your family and the impact that’ll have.
‘In particular, if these polls are right, and Labour are in power with a supermajority, you have to think about what that will mean – a Labour government unchecked, no-one to hold them accountable, no-one to stand up to them in Parliament and all of the impact it would have on all of your lives.
‘If you hand Labour a blank cheque you will not be able to get it back.’
Mr Sunak added: ‘If I remain as your Prime Minister on Friday we will keep going to cut all of your taxes.’
The PM warned yesterday that Vladimir Putin wants the Tories to lose the election on Thursday because Labour would weaken the UK’s defences.
He accused Sir Keir of planning to cut UK defence spending ‘on day one’ which he said would ’embolden our enemies’.
In a dig at Reform, he argued that any other party than the Tories in government would amount to appeasing the aggression of the Russian leader.
‘Russia does not want us to be re‑elected,’ Mr Sunak said as he pointed to the Tories’ record on standing up for Ukraine.
‘Putin would like nothing more than for Britain to step back, to appease his aggression rather than face it down, and that is what will happen with another party in power.
‘Nigel Farage has talked of appeasing Russia, which will only play into Putin’s hands, and Labour will cut UK defence spending on day one.
‘This will embolden our enemies and send a signal to our allies that Britain is not with them any more.’
Mr Sunak said today: ‘You have to back up words with actions, that’s what we are doing, we’re investing more in defence.
‘You have to have strength to signal to your adversaries that we’re not going anywhere, that’s why under the Conservatives we’re increasing defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP.
‘If Keir Starmer is in charge those plans are going to be cut. That’s going to send a signal of weakness to our adversaries and to our allies and crucially will mean that we won’t have the funding to continue providing multi-year support to Ukraine.
‘I can say that because I’ve got a fully funded plan to increase defence spending. That’s why I can say we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes to ensure Putin is not successful there … Labour can’t say that because they are not prioritising investing more in defence.’
Labour advisers have been playing down the prospect of legislating for a four-day week, despite the huge Unison union formally backing the idea.
Dozens of businesses and politicians upped the pressure last week by signing a letter calling for the move – although many firms are alarmed that the idea is practically impossible.
Touring broadcast studios this morning, Home Secretary James Cleverly voiced alarm that Labour will rig the voting system to keep themselves in power.
He added: ‘The reason that this is so important, is because Labour have already said they are going to gerrymander the system, they have said they’re going to pack out the House of Lords, they’ve said they’re going to get votes at 16, they’re going to get votes for foreign nationals, they’re probably going to get votes for criminals.
Rishi Sunak (pictured) issued a stark warning suggesting electing any other party than the Tories would appease the aggression of Russia
‘They are determined to have a permanent Labour government and they are quite willing to distort the British political system to get that – that is what is at stake. This is not an election which is about giving the Conservatives a bit of a telling off, and many people might think that is legitimate.
‘This is about the next five years and beyond and Labour are going to put up taxes, that is inevitable because of the spending commitments they’ve already made, let alone the ones they’ve hidden from people.
‘They have said they’re going to distort the political system and I think there’s a real risk, there is a genuine risk that they take a majority if that is what they get to try and lock in their power permanently, because they don’t really feel confident that they’re going to be able to make a credible case to the British people at the next general election.’