Starmer a leftie lawyer, says Sunak in small boats clash

LABOUR will vote against Suella Braverman’s Bill to tackle small boats – as Rishi Sunak accused Sir Keir Starmer of being “just another leftie lawyer standing in our way”.

A spokesman for the Labour leader said the party would oppose the Illegal Migration Bill because they did not believe it would deal with the problem.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir accused the Government of delivering “utter failure” with its immigration plans and warned the “problem just gets worse with every new gimmick”.

He went on to criticise the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, which paved the way for the Government to attempt to send migrants to Rwanda, although this policy has stalled, and the latest legislation aimed at curbing Channel crossings.

But Mr Sunak told Sir Keir: “Stopping the boats is not just my priority, it is the people’s priority.

“But his [Sir Keir] position on this is clear: he wanted to, in his words, scrap the Rwanda deal; he voted against measures to deport foreign criminals; and he even argued against deportation flights. We know why – on this matter he talks about his legal background, he’s just another leftie lawyer standing in our way.”

A Labour spokesman denied that Sir Keir was a “leftie lawyer”, saying: “No. All of the Government’s failings are entirely down to themselves.”