Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has slammed the Prime Minister for blaming Brexit for the influx of illegal migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.
He told The Camilla Tominey Show on GB News: “I think he’s forgotten what the Remoaners bang on about, the Dublin agreement. When the Dublin agreement was in place, in the last five years of it, more people were actually sent back to the UK than we sent back to the EU.
“So it’s just ridiculous. The small boats crisis is because we got a soft touch Home Office under the Conservatives. We just learned in the newspapers this morning the horrifying story that the Tories thought it was a good idea to give asylum to a senior Hamas operative, and then give him British citizenship. I mean, you couldn’t make this up.
“Never forgive and never forget what the Tories did to us, granting British citizenship to Hamas operatives, as well as granting indefinite leave to remain to millions of people, many of whom haven’t come here to work, they’ve come here to claim benefits. That’s why we [Reform UK] won’t pay any benefits to overseas nationals.”
Tice played down recent polls showing a drop in support for Reform: “We won the May elections by a country mile. The council elections, we’re doing a great job of that.
“Look, polls go up and down, and we’ve had an interesting summer. We’ve had good days and bad days. That’s the nature of life. And we’re not afraid of that. We’re not afraid of competition.
“We view it as a great challenge to take on this dreadful, failing, hard socialist government, we’ve got a prime minister who’s got splinters in his backside from sitting on the fence on every key issue, whether it’s on Chagos, whether it’s on defence spending, whether it’s on welfare, you name it.
“Whether it’s on Heathrow, I mean, the prime minister and this government just seems to want to do nothing except sort of talk the talk. We need action.
“As you said just earlier, you’ve got undetected dinghies now arriving on British shores, and the British people are furious. We’re the only people who will pick up, rescue, and return to France.”
He added: “Look, polls go up and down, but we’re very grateful to our donors, and we’ve got money in the bank to get ready for the general election, whenever it is, whether it’s next year or whether it’s in 2029.
“We’re funded, and we will continue to grow the infrastructure. We won’t actually take the prime minister at his word. We’ll be ready for a general election.
“And frankly, given that he’s sort of become prime minister by a coup, we’d rather a general election sooner rather than later. Bring it on. We’re not afraid of it.”