James Cleverly has warned that a failure to act on immigration could lead to the rise of “extremist parties”
The home secretary said the Conservatives were “taking action” but that public anger over rising immigration levels could “erupt” if a Labour government is elected on Thursday.
Cleverly’s comments come in the wake of the French parliamentary elections, which saw the far-right National Rally (RN) party and its allies reach 33 per cent of the national popular vote in the first round.
The leftwing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance came in second with 28 per cent while President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Together coalition reached 20 per cent.
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Cleverly told GB News: “I gave a speech at the end of last year where I said if governments don’t get a grip of immigration and work internationally and cooperatively, there is a risk that extremist parties take advantage of the disquiet…”
He added: “The Conservatives are taking action… I worry that when Labour, not if, when Labour fall short on this issue, the anger of the British people could erupt in a whole load of different ways. This is why it’s so important people think very carefully how they vote on July 4.”
With the polls in the UK set to open on Thursday, prime minister Rishi Sunak is urging voters today not to “surrender your voice to Labour”.
Speaking at a rally later, the prime minister will say of Labour: “If they get the kind of majority, the supermajority that the polls suggest, they will set about entrenching themselves in power.
“They will rewrite the rules to make it easier for them to stay in office and harder for anyone to replace them. So, don’t surrender your voice to Labour on Thursday.”
The Conservative Party is also claiming that Labour’s immigration plans will result in a “deluge” of asylum seekers, leading to tax hikes of £635 per family each year.
Labour has branded the attack a “ludicrous lie from an increasingly desperate Tory party”.
The opposition claimed the Conservatives have “completely lost control of the asylum system or border security” and if they are re-elected “the chaos will continue and costs will soar further.”
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