Suella Braverman tells Labour to ‘get off Twitter’ and visit Rwanda

Suella Braverman urged Labour to “get off Twitter” and visit Rwanda during a heated exchange on the Government’s immigration plans in the Commons.

Her comments were in response to shadow Home Office minister Stephen Kinnock, who pressed her on the Illegal Migration Bill and asked how she would find room to detain migrants crossing the Channel.

Ms Braverman, who made her first trip to Rwanda as Home Secretary this weekend, replied by insisting people should compare what the Government and Labour have done in the last 10 days.

She said: “The Prime Minister and I have secured a big deal with the French to increase cross-Channel cooperation. I have presented and we voted on measures to detain and swiftly remove illegal migrants and this weekend I met with refugees who have successfully been resettled in Rwanda and seen the accommodation people will be using.

“What has the Labour Party done? Well, the shadow home secretary has been on Twitter. She is very good on Twitter.”

“What I suggest they do is get off Twitter, get to Rwanda and I will show them how to stop the boats,” she added.

Also speaking during Home Office questions, Yvette Cooper garnered some laughs as she addressed a joke the Home Secretary made while visiting migrant homes in the African country.

Ms Cooper told the Commons: “We welcome the Home Secretary back from her expensive interior design tour.”

Elsewhere during the session, SNP’s home affairs spokesperson Alison Thewliss said the Illegal Migration Bill was about “banning asylum seekers”, adding: “What does it say about the Home Secretary’s morals that she believes Rwanda would be a ‘blessing’ for asylum seekers, but when they come here she calls them a ‘swarm’ and an ‘invasion’.”

Ms Braverman accused her of “siding with the people smuggling gangs”, adding: “She is actively encouraging effectively the co-operation and evil practice of exploitation of vulnerable people coming into this country.

“Vote for our measures, stop the people smuggling gangs and stop the boats.”

The Home Secretary also told MPs the Government’s Migration Bill was “testing legal arguments” and “there’s nothing wrong with that”.

Responding to SNP MP Anum Qaisar (Airdrie and Shotts), Ms Braverman said: “Section 19 1b (of the Human Rights Act) is designed exactly for these purposes, where whilst the Government believes that our provisions are capable of being compliant with human rights acts and the Convention on Human Rights we are nonetheless testing legal arguments and legal basis, there’s nothing wrong with that.

“In fact previous administrations have introduced legislation – a Labour administration introduced legislation carrying a Section 19 1b statement themselves.”