“I think this is part of the non fact-checked, relentless dehumanisation of migrants.”
Trade union boss Jo Grady took apart immigration claims made by Reform UK’s newest MP, Sarah Pochin, on Politics Hub last night.
On the show, Pochin said that small boat crossings are “an absolute national emergency” and said they will bankrupt this country, claiming “these are not families, these are young economic migrants, fighting age males”.
She went on to say that “young male” migrants are being housed in houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) and are “getting lost in the system”, adding they pose “a threat to our society”.
Pochin later claimed that they are “not genuine refugees” and that they come to the UK because they know they’ll get a house, a phone, clothes and benefits.
When pressed on what Reform UK would actually do to address the issue, Pochin said the party would send all so-called “illegal” migrants to a processing centre outside the UK, from where they would be “sent back to where they came from”.
Presenter Sophy Ridge responded “the problem is, that is not legal is it?”. She pointed out that returning migrants to “where they came from” would require formal returns agreements with other countries, which the UK currently does not have.
Pochin said Reform will solve this by leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and simply flying people back to their countries. Ridge added, “It’s not just the ECHR though, is it, you’re talking about countries all over the world.”
After several minutes of Pochin airing her anti-migrant views, Grady calmly intervened.
Grady said: “I think this is part of the non fact-checked, relentless dehumanisation of migrants.”
She acknowledged public concern about immigration, but added: “There is also a reality where the cost of living crisis has gone on for years, where there is a scarcity of housing because we haven’t seen any investment in it, where there is an underfunding of the NHS because it’s been cut to the bone, where you are charged extortionate rents.”
“There is a genuine feeling of life getting materially worse for people. That is real,” she said.
The UCU general secretary said: “My real concern is that we’re seeing the scapegoating of migrants with the really emotive rhetoric that you’ve just used, and it’s really letting the political class off the hook.”
Grady said politicians are “offering no real solutions” and are “just pointing the finger”. She added: “Opting out of various laws that are there for a reason in order to kind of shuffle people around the globe isn’t a solution.”
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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