James Cleverly clashed with Kay Burley over the “pull factors” for refugees travelling to the UK via the English Channel – such as the hotels.
Home secretary Suella Braverman signed a £8 million new deal with Paris on Monday to prevent people attempting to leave France to get to British shores in small boats.
As the number of those making the treacherous journey continues to climb, the immigration minister Robert Jenrick claimed this weekend that arriving migrants should just have “simple functional accommodation”, without any “pull factor”.
The Sky News presenter put this proposal to foreign secretary Cleverly, asking: “For one second, do you think people are fleeing the situation in Afghanistan so they can stay in a Premier Inn in Dover?”
Cleverly said: “There are definitely people coming to the UK not because they are fleeing persecution but because they are seeking, economically, a better life.”
“I completely get that,” he continued, saying it was understandable that people would want to come to the UK.
But, the cabinet minister then added: “There’s video footage, there are people posting onto social media the fact that they are really happy that they are coming to the UK, that they’ve got to the UK, seeking a better economic life, not fleeing persecution.”
“They’re not coming here to stay in a hotel,” Burley hit back. “It’s crass to suggest they’re coming to stay in a hotel.
“People are not risking their lives on a boat, in order to stay in a hotel in Dover – they’re just not.”
Cleverly replied: “Some people are definitely motivated to come to the UK because they feel this is a nicer place to live and work than where they currently live.
“They are economic migrants, and it’s really really important when we have this discussion about illicit immigration – there are some people like the Hong Kongers, like the Ukrainians, like the Afghans, and there are others who are economic migrants, who we really need to recognise.”
At the moment, the UK is spending £6 million on hotels for migrants, while the new deal with France costs £8 million.
The living conditions for refugees have been under intense scrutiny recently, particularly in overcrowded processing centres where there has been significant disease outbreaks.
Cleverly refused to say what number the government was hoping to reduce migrant crossings to – more than 40,000 refugees have crossed the Channel in 2022 so far.
The new deal will increase patrols in France, in a bid to deter people trying to cross via the English Channel.