THE SNP's Stephen Flynn has accused the Tories and Labour of a “race to the bottom” over migration policy and called for the parties to show “more humanity”.
During Prime Minister’s Questions, the party's Westminster leader challenged Rishi Sunak to outline how a child refugee seeking to flee Sudan would be able to find a safe and legal route to the UK.
When Sunak responded the UK Government was working to evacuate British nationals from the war-torn country, he said the Prime Minister had confirmed there was no safe and legal route.
🗣️ 'We need some more humanity in this debate rather than the race to the bottom which we see here today'@StephenFlynnSNP asks Rishi Sunak to outline the 'safe and legal route' for a child from Sudan seeking to come to the UK pic.twitter.com/pwez26fHNz
— The National (@ScotNational) April 26, 2023
Flynn said: “To be clear, I think everyone in the House is aware of this, children in Sudan are already dying.
"Whether it is a Tory slogan to stop the boats, or a Labour slogan to stop small boats, we need some more humanity in this debate, rather than the race to the bottom which we see here today.”
“So, can I ask the Prime Minister now that he has confirmed that there is no safe legal route, will he therefore confirm that it would be his Government’s intention to detain and deport a child refugee who flees Sudan and comes to the United Kingdom?”
Sunak said: “We have invested almost £250 million in humanitarian support in Sudan over the past five years.
“He does it always, but, actually, this country has a proud record of compassionately supporting those who need our assistance.
“Just over the last few years, we have welcomed almost half a million vulnerable people to our country, including many children.”
The clash came as the remaining stages of the Tories controversial bill to stop people crossing the Channel in small boats – which the Equality and Human Rights Commission has warned breaches the UK’s human rights obligations – will be debated in the Commons today.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the Prime Minister of being out of touch with working people, labelling him “Mr 24 tax rises”.
He said: “So out of touch that he looks at a petrol pump and a debit card like they’ve just arrived from Mars.”
He went on: “Is it any wonder that he smiles his way through the cost-of-living crisis while putting other people’s taxes up? Is it any wonder he doesn’t have a clue how food prices are hammering families across country, and is it any wonder that under him people are paying more and more and getting less and less?”
The Prime Minister responded by laying out Labour’s recent record in Parliament, telling MPs: “Let’s just look at what’s happened just in this week, where the Labour Party have put themselves.
“On Monday in the House of Lords they decided to side with extremist protesters, just yesterday they sided with polluters, and tonight we will see them siding with the people smugglers.”
