Shabana Mahmood’s savage two-word slapdown to Nigel Farage’s brazen invite
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told Nigel Farage to ‘sod off’ after he suggested she was trying to ‘audition’ to join Reform UK with her asylum shake-up
Shabana Mahmood says Farage can ‘sod off’ during Sky News interview
Shabana Mahmood has told Nigel Farage to “sod off” after he suggested she was trying to “audition” for Reform UK with her asylum shake-up.
The Home Secretary hit back at the Reform leader after he suggested Labour was inspired by his party – who are ahead in the polls. Ms Mahmood sparked a furious backlash yesterday after unveiling a string of hardline measures, which include ordering officials to press ahead with kicking out families including children.
Asked about Mr Farage’s suggestion she’d be welcome in Reform UK over her controversial plans, Ms Mahmood snapped: “Nigel Farage can sod off. I’m not interested in anything he’s got to say.”
She added to Sky News: “I’m not really interested in anything that Nigel Farage has to say. I think that there are various individuals who at the moment are seeking to make mischief, and I’m not interested because I really mean it when I say I haven’t had anything about other political parties and other politicians in my mind.
READ MORE: 14 major asylum system changes as Shabana Mahmood announces draconian shake-up
“I have a solemn responsibility as the Home Secretary of this country, who can see a broken asylum system. It is my job to fix it. I know people are angry about this broken asylum system, and I know that it is fuelling division across our country.
“So it’s my job to put that system to right and to reform it and to unite our country.”
Mr Farage yesterday welcomed the “strong language”, saying it was “even an audition to join Reform”. But he said he had “serious doubts” whether the her own backbenchers will support her plans, or whether the changes can succeed with European human rights laws in place.
And at a press conference today, he claimed Ms Mahmood’s plans were driven by the Government’s fear of losing votes to his party and quipped it might have been a pitch by Ms Mahmood to be the “next defector” to Reform.
“Despite her protestations, I thought a lot of what Shabana Mahmood said yesterday was driven directly by fear that Labour are losing votes to Reform,” he said. “And rhetorically we would agree with a lot of what the Home Secretary said.”
Ms Mahmood has been facing fury from left-wingers and refugee charities over her draconian plans.
Labour peer Lord Alf Dubs who fled the Nazis as a child this morning accused the Home Secretary of using “children as a weapon” in her asylum system proposals.
The former MP told the BBC’s Today programme: “I find it upsetting that we’ve got to adopt such a hard line – what we need is a bit of compassion in our politics, and I think that some of the measures were going in the wrong direction, they won’t help.”
Enver Solomon, chief executive of Refugee Council, said: “These reforms sound tough, but they won’t fix the real problems in the asylum system. Instead, they risk creating more delays, more stress and more inhumane treatment for the very people the system is meant to protect.”
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