The Tories have backed Lee Anderson after he told asylum seekers they should “f*** off back to France”. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk insisted the party’s Deputy Chairman had said “nothing unreasonable”.
Mr Anderson issued his foul-mouthed warning as the Government’s plan to accommodate migrants on a barge ran into difficulty.
Just 15 people have been moved onto the Bibby Stockholm, which is moored at Portland in Dorset, after other raised complaints.
Mr Anderson told Express.co.uk: "If they don't like barges then they should f*** off back to France."
On the radio this morning, Mr Chalk defended his Tory colleague as he insisted his remarks were not bigoted. The Cabinet Minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Lee is expressing in salty terms I think something that people will understand, which is that the British people have warm hearts, but we also want to have a secure front door.
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Alex Chalk insisted that Lee Anderson was right to make his remarks (PA)“It is not right that people who behave illegally jump the queue compared to those who have played by the rules. Lee has expressed himself in his own way but it's not unreasonable.”
Mr Chalk was questioned on previous comments when he argued Britain must present itself as a “tolerant, outward-facing nation”, and denounced anyone using Brexit “as an excuse for the kind of ugly bigotry that I thought we had left long behind”.
Pushed on whether it was appropriate to tell people who may be genuine refugees having escaped war and persecution to “f*** off”, Mr Chalk said: “I think that this is absolutely fine. I have no difficulty with that. It's not bigotry at all. This country, lest we forget, has offered its home to 400,000 people since 2015 - so Ukrainians, people from Hong Kong, Afghans.
“We are an open and warm and outward facing country, but equally we're a country that believes in fairness and playing by the rules. Those who don't play by the rules, who take advantage of those opportunities we provide and try to jump the queue rightly cause indignation. I think Lee was expressing that indignation in his own way, but there was nothing unreasonable in principle about what he was saying.”
Natasha Tsangarides of Freedom from Torture said: “Time and time again, we’re seeing Government ministers amping up the cruelty of their anti-refugee rhetoric to distract from their own catastrophic mismanagement of both the asylum system and of this country. The dehumanising and inflammatory language used by certain politicians is putting people seeking sanctuary in this country at real risk.”
Hope Not Hate campaigns director Georgie Laming said: "Lee Anderson is Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, right at the heart of his party. They've defended his words and it's morally reprehensible. Words have consequences.... The Conservative Party is rapidly adopting dangerous and divisive tactics. This has to be challenged."
Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: "Alex Chalk's toe-curling interview was yet another sign of how weak this government has become. Lifelong Conservative voters expect decent and respectful political debate - something completely lacking amongst Tory MPs. People in Cheltenham would have been spitting out their cornflakes listening to Alex Chalk."
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