00:00 So, Mike, Ascension Island was an idea dismissed a while ago. So, why couldn't it work? Some
00:05 would say surely this is better than housing migrants in the Kent coast in hotels or out
00:11 the UK coast in barges. So, I think what this shows us again is that
00:18 the Conservatives have run out of ideas. This was a plan that was rejected years ago because
00:25 it's unworkable, just like Rwanda is unworkable and the barges are quite simply a gimmick.
00:32 They only hold 500 people. In Dover, we see that number crossing on many, many weekends.
00:39 So, really, they're running out of ideas. And so they bring in these gimmicks to try
00:43 and grab the headlines, to try and trick people into thinking that they're actually doing
00:48 something about this. But they've lost control of the borders and the processing of those
00:52 that arrive is completely broken. So, now we're seeing record backlogs.
00:58 The government say that they're bringing forward alternative accommodation. They are bringing
01:02 options to the table, if not Rwanda, Ascension Island, if not these barges. And they say
01:06 that it's actually a tried and tested approach. So, what would you suggest instead?
01:11 There is a really simple fix to this and it's sensible, it's pragmatic. It takes some hard
01:19 work, some quiet diplomacy behind the scenes, which the Conservatives refuse to do. So,
01:27 when Labour get to government, if we have that privilege, then we'll invest in a dedicated
01:32 cross-border policing unit to get on top and smash those criminal gangs. But most importantly,
01:38 speed up the processing, which essentially takes more decision makers at the Home Office
01:44 so that those that shouldn't be here are deported and those that need the help receive it.
01:49 Unfortunately, Conservatives can't get to grips with this backlog, which is why they
01:53 need more accommodation. So, they bring in gimmicks like the barges and Rwanda.
01:59 Cross-border policing would still be something that would take a lot of time, I imagine,
02:03 to implement. And what would you do in the meantime for those migrants that need home
02:07 shelter now? What would you do for them now? Because that's what we imagine the government
02:11 is trying to do now. House the people now. The cross-border policing wouldn't solve that
02:16 issue right now. Well, this is a problem that's been growing
02:22 under the Conservative government. It's got worse and worse over the last five years,
02:28 and they could have started getting on top of it years ago with dedicating policing units,
02:33 which by the way, they voted against in Parliament when Labour tabled an amendment to their gimmick
02:38 bill. And really, essentially, it comes down to speeding up the processing so that people
02:44 don't need that accommodation. But of course, we don't know what mess we're going to inherit
02:49 at the next general election if we have the privilege of winning. So, we don't know how
02:54 many people we're going to need to house. But of course, as soon as we get into government,
02:59 we'll put in these sensible, pragmatic plans.
