'Complete insanity'
A Conservative MP has been slammed after he called for all Russians in Britain to be sent home following President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Appearing on talkRADIO, Sir Roger Gale said: “The prime minister said last week that we shouldn’t visit the sins of parents upon their children.
“Well, I’m sorry, my view is that we should send a very clear message and rescind all the visas for Russian citizens currently extant in the United Kingdom and send everybody home.”
When pushed if he was asking for every Russian to be ‘sent home’, Sir Roger replied there would be some ‘collateral damage’ and highlighted how he had a constituent who was working in IT and that he had no reason to suppose he was anything other than reputable but that ‘we can’t pick and choose.’
He added: “What we’ve got to do, I’m afraid is send a very harsh message through the Russian people to Putin.”
Sir Roger’s comments drew immediate condemnation, with some slamming him as ‘unhinged’ and others saying he was bigoted.
One social media user wrote: “Complete insanity and somehow not taking place for the first time this week”, while another added: “This is so disappointing. The way to respond to ultranationalist aggression is not by turning against Russians in the U.K. This is a fight against Putin’s regime, not the Russian people.”
Environment minister and Tory peer Zac Goldsmith also hit back at Sir Roger’s comments, saying: “There are 70,000 Russians in the UK.
“Our quarrel is not with them or with Russian people – it is with Putin and his cronies.
“Too many influential people are choosing to conflate the two. It is both unfair and dangerous, and it must stop.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers and to make the biggest impact we can in the next general election, we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That's why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward's work.
We still need another 124 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.