DUP leader backs mass deportations of illegal immigrants - saying there's no sign the government is taking 'meaningful action'
Gavin Robinson has added his name to a motion calling on the government to begin mass deportations of illegal migrants from the UK – saying the government isn’t doing enough to “stem the tide”.
The parliamentary motion – started by the former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe – is sponsored by the DUP leader’s colleague Carla Lockhart, TUV leader Jim Allister and independent unionist MP Alex Easton.
It calls for a “comprehensive national strategy to identify, detain, and deport all individuals found to be residing in the United Kingdom illegally”.
The DUP leader, who signed the petition on Monday, told the News Letter: “Despite the rhetoric and promises there is no sign that the current Labour government are prepared to take meaningful action to protect the United Kingdom’s borders and stem the tide of illegal immigration.
“It is disappointing that it should be necessary for a motion to be tabled in the House of Commons setting out the need to ensure such a basic function of government is fulfilled.
“We will continue to campaign for an effective immigration policy that applies and is enforced across all parts of our United Kingdom”.
The motion has not secured the backing of most Reform UK MPs – despite being launched in April. Mr Lowe left the party amid a bitter dispute earlier this year, and claimed some senior members were uncomfortable with his comments on mass deportations.
Despite initially claiming that mass deportations were a “political impossibility” – Reform leader Nigel Farage subsequently backed such a policy. In August, the party announced that it would be prepared to deport 600,000 migrants over five years, if it won power at the next general election.
Most of the DUP’s parliamentary team had backed Mr Lowe’s early day motion over recent months, including Sammy Wilson, Jim Shannon and Carla Lockhart. The party leader added his signature on Monday.
Rupert Lowe welcomed the move in a Facebook post, in which he said: “Good news - another supporter on our mass deportation motion in Parliament. Leader of the DUP, Gavin Robinson MP.
“The Northern Irish want the illegals gone”.
His motion – which only has 24 signatures – calls on the government to “ensure that such policies are backed by the necessary legislative, diplomatic, logistical and financial resources to restore confidence in the rule of law and the security of our borders.”