'On what level are we full?': Shelagh Fogarty questions LBC caller's anti-migrant rhetoric
29 June 2023, 15:31 | Updated: 29 June 2023, 15:37
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is to take the Rwanda ruling to Supreme Court as plans are deemed unlawful, and caller Johnathan claims the UK is "overstretched".
The government is being "forced to deal and react to a problem that is not of their making" claimed caller Jonathan.
He told Shelagh Fogarty: "We appear to be emptying out certain parts of the world and effectively overwhelming and destroying other parts of the world purely because of the increased population."
Caller Jonathan continued saying: "In this country we already have, we have lots of things not working like health, sewerage, water, they're all overstretched, it's a race to the bottom."
Referring to the increasing number of migrants attempting to cross the Channel, Jonathan claimed "LBC presenters seem to have this opinion that we are going to fill this country up and we are not allowed to protect this country."
Shelagh replied: "Is that what you think I think?"
Asserting her viewpoint, Shelagh said: "Well in the last 40 minutes, I've at least twice, possibly three times, made it explicitly clear that isn't what I think."
After he claimed that Shelagh's "persona" spoke for her, the presenter replied: "I tend to speak with my tongue as opposed to my persona."
Barrister says the Rwanda policy will be brought to The Supreme Court
Shelagh challenged Jonathan's view saying: "I have said several times in this hour that Rishi Sunak is right to want to stop the boats, and any Home Secretary is right to say we should say who comes into this country, and who doesn't.
"What bit of that amounts to me saying anyone who wants to live here, should be allowed to live here?"
Jonathan claimed Shelagh had "misunderstood the point", stating "We all understand what you're also not saying."
"What am I not saying?" Shelagh questioned.
"You're not saying the fact that we're overwhelmed with people already, none of our services work", Jonathan replied.
Irate at the caller's assertion, Shelagh said: "That's not because of the numbers of people, it's because of the quality of services, it's the reduction of funding in those services and we need to grow the wealth of this country in order to pay for better services."
Continuing, Jonathan exclaimed: "You're not taking into account the numbers of people that are overstretching the health service which was designed for 44 million people, it's now providing for double that".
Questioning his rhetoric, Shelagh said: "We don't currently have enough people to fill the vacancies we have in this country, so on what level are we full?"
Struggling to provide evidence for his viewpoint, the caller stated: "You are more sympathetic towards immigrants and migrants than I am!"
Replying, Shelagh said: "I am sympathetic to migrants and asylum seekers, I am not sympathetic to criminals and I think if we had a better asylum system and worked better internationally against those criminal gangs that exploit people, the world would be a better place and Britain would be a calmer country."
Their debate arose as the Court of Appeal ruled the UK's plan to deport migrants to Rwanda as unlawful.
The government will seek to appeal against a court ruling which deemed plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are unlawful, Rishi Sunak has said.
Continuing, Jonathan exclaimed: "You're not taking into account the numbers of people that are overstretching the health service which was designed for 44 million people, it's now providing for double that".
Questioning his rhetoric, Shelagh said: "We don't currently have enough people to fill the vacancies we have in this country, so on what level are we full?"
Struggling to provide evidence for his viewpoint, the caller stated: "You are more sympathetic towards immigrants and migrants than I am!"
Replying, Shelagh said: "I am sympathetic to migrants and asylum seekers, I am not sympathetic to criminals and I think if we had a better asylum system and worked better internationally against those criminal gangs that exploit people, the world would be a better place and Britain would be a calmer country."
Their debate arose as the Court of Appeal ruled the UK's plan to deport migrants to Rwanda as unlawful.
The government will seek to appeal against a court ruling which deemed plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are unlawful, Rishi Sunak has said.
