Rishi Sunak: Labour on same side as criminal gangs over illegal migration

Rishi Sunak has suggested that the Labour Party are “on the same side” as criminals and lawyers who promote illegal immigration.

The Prime Minister retweeted a newspaper investigation into lawyers helping people claim asylum on the basis of evidence they knew to be false.

He claimed that Labour, as well as corrupt lawyers and “criminal gangs”, are obstructing government plans to stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

Labour hit back, with a shadow cabinet member saying Mr Sunak had descended into the “gutter”.

The investigation by the Daily Mail found that lawyers are charging thousands of pounds to submit false asylum and human rights claims for illegal immigrants.

Staff at solicitors’ firms readily agreed to help an undercover reporter posing as an economic migrant get refugee status. This was despite being told he had no legitimate reason to stay in the UK after arriving on a small boat.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister tweeted: “This is what we’re up against. The Labour Party, a subset of lawyers, criminal gangs - they’re all on the same side, propping up a system of exploitation that profits from getting people to the UK illegally. I have a plan to stop it.

“Labour have tried to block every vote to stop the boats. Their plan for immigration is an open door. But I know stopping the boats is a priority for the British people. And I’m leaving no stone unturned to get it done.”

Shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon tweeted: “When all else is lost, the only place you have is the gutter. Poor, yes. Desperate and pathetic from Sunak too.”

Broadcaster Iain Dale said: “Not wholly sure this is very prime ministerial. Quite an accusation against Labour there. Fine, go after the lawyer at the centre of this story, but to imply Labour would support him is pretty desperate stuff.”

The Prime Minister’s tweet was sent on his party political account, not his official government one.

‘Side with the people smugglers’

Earlier this year, Mr Sunak claimed Labour was going to “side with the people smugglers” when it voted against the illegal migration bill.

The Mail investigation found that one lawyer asked for £10,000 to invent a horrific back story to use in an asylum application.

This included claims of sexual torture, beatings, slave labour, false imprisonment and death threats that left a victim suicidal and compelled to flee to the UK.

The legal adviser promised he could get a doctor’s report to back up the story and produced antidepressants to be given to the Home Office as “evidence” of psychological trauma.

At another firm, a lawyer said he would have to “create the evidence” to make it appear the reporter had a genuine fear of “persecution and assassination” if he returned home.

He boasted of a success rate of more than 90 per cent with similar asylum cases. A third outlined the “fine ingredients of an asylum case” he said he would use to make it appear the reporter feared for his life in India. This could include anti-government political allegiances, a love affair with someone from the wrong caste or being gay.

One law firm sacked the representative The Mail spoke to and closed one of its offices after we revealed our findings. It said his actions breached the law and broke the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s code of conduct.