Brutal second James Cleverly performed clip of aide saying Rwanda plan is ‘crap’
Home Secretary James Cleverly has been confronted with a recording of one of his top aides branding the Rwanda scheme “crap”.
Mr Cleverly – who is responsible for trying to implement the controversial deportation project – squirmed as he was played a clip of James Sunderland making the remark. In the recording Mr Sunderland checked no one was filming him before saying: “The policy is crap, OK? It’s crap.”
Critics say it is a sign that even top Tories recognise the plan – which has seen the Government agree to hand £370million to Rwanda over five years, but huge add-ons – is a gimmick.
But the Home Secretary insisted that Mr Sunderland was trying to “shock and grab the attention of the audience”. In the audio, made during an address to Young Conservatives earlier this year, Mr Sunderland said: “Nobody’s got their cameras on have they, their phones on?
“The policy is crap, ok? It’s crap. But it’s not about the policy, it’s about the effect of the policy.” He went on: “There is no doubt at all that when those first flights take off it will send such a shockwave across the Channel that the gangs will stop.”
Mr Cleverly said he had “no idea” why his aide had used the word “crap”. But he told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “The point he made was absolutely right in the latter part of the quote, which is the effect, the deterrent effect, on the people smuggling gangs and the people that are trying to make money from is what we are seeking to achieve.”
The recording was passed to the BBC. After it emerged Lib Dem Home Affairs Spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: “The Rwanda policy is an immoral, costly gimmick and everyone, including top Conservatives, knows it.
“Rishi Sunak has poured hundreds of millions into his failing vanity project – it’s a disastrous waste of money. Liberal Democrats would smash these gangs putting lives at risk and fix our immigration system.”
Asked about the clip on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr Cleverly said Mr Sunderland was “very supportive” of the policy. “I’ve had a conversation with him and I’ve also heard the recording. And it’s clear what he’s doing is he’s putting forward a very counterintuitive statement to grab the attention of the audience,” Mr Cleverly said.
“If you actually listen to what he then went on to say, he was saying that the impact, the effect, is what matters.”
