Ben & Jerry’s in hot water after criticising Patel over migrants
PRITI PATEL entered a war of words with Ben & Jerry’s after the ice cream company accused her of failing to provide “safe and legal routes” for asylum seekers.
The Home Secretary was forced to defend herself on Tuesday night after the company posted a series of tweets telling Ms Patel that “people cannot be illegal” and that “people wouldn’t make dangerous journeys if they had any other choice”.
“We think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture,” Ben and Jerry’s said on Twitter.
“What we need is more safe and legal routes.”
It added: “Let’s remember we’re all human and have the same rights to life regardless of the country we happen to have been born in.”
A Home Office source responded that the company was peddling “overpriced junk food”. They said: “Priti is working day and night to bring an end to these small boat crossings, which are facilitated by international criminal gangs and are rightly of serious concern to the British people. If that means upsetting the social media team for a brand of overpriced junk food, then so be it.”
At least 12 migrants arrived at the port of Dover, in Kent, yesterday morning, adding to a record year for migrants making the crossing.
Meanwhile, MPS including Chris Philp, the immigration minister, who travelled to Paris to discuss plans to tackle the migrant crisis, rallied around Ms Patel.
Mr Philp said the immigrants were “fleeing France, which is safe, civilised and has a good asylum system”.
He tweeted: “Last year, the UK made 20,000 asylum grants.
“We are the only G7 country to meet the 0.7 per cent aid target and have run the largest refugee resettlement scheme in Europe over the last 5 years. Stick to ice cream.”
James Cleverly, minister for the Middle East, tweeted: “Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream please?”
Ben & Jerry’s UK @benandjerrysuk
Hey @Pritipatel we think the real crisis is our lack of humanity for people fleeing war, climate change and torture...
James Cleverly @Jamescleverly
Can I have a large scoop of statistically inaccurate virtue signalling with my grossly overpriced ice cream please?