Susanna Reid Defends Migrants and Criticizes Chris Philp Over Tory Record
Susanna Reid passionately criticized Chris Philp and the Conservative government’s record on immigration during her appearance on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg. The Good Morning Britain presenter mounted a strong defense of migrants while challenging both Tory and Labor approaches to immigration.
Philp, the shadow home secretary, had used his appearance on the program to criticize Labor for the high number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in small boats. Reid, however, took the opportunity to address the broader issue of immigration policies and how successive governments have handled the topic, reported by Yahoo News.
Reid stated: “I think that successive governments have failed to tell a positive story on immigration. We rely on immigration to run our public services, to grow our economy.”
She went on to challenge Philp’s position, pointing out the inconsistencies within the government’s approach to legal migration. “But there is huge concern about how we support the immigrants who come, and with all due respect to Chris Philp, how he can lecture the current government on immigration when it was under the previous government that legal net migration by almost a million is remarkable.”
Reid continued: “Anybody is going to be worried that if you have that scale of legal migrants coming in, how are you going to support them with the NHS and housing.” She argued that governments should focus on communicating the value of migrants to society while being transparent about migration needs: “What governments need to do is say, ‘we need migrants, they are positive and valuable contributors to our society, but this is the number roughly we need.’”
Reid did not stop there, turning her attention to Labour’s recent pledge to lower immigration. She criticised the messaging behind the policy, saying it perpetuates harmful perceptions of migrants. “That makes it sound like immigration is a bad thing—we’re going to lower it because immigrants are bad. But they’re not bad, and then you hand over the political argument to Reform and a sort of Faragist proposal on one in, one out.”
Her remarks come at a time when immigration remains a divisive issue in British politics, with both major parties under pressure to address rising concerns while avoiding anti-immigrant rhetoric. Reid’s intervention highlighted the need for a balanced and constructive approach to immigration, emphasizing the positive contributions migrants make to society while addressing practical challenges.
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