‘I’m Arvin, I’m 11 and I came to Britain in a dinghy’: Moment Iranian refugee who made perilous Channel crossing in a small boat from France grills Keir Starmer on Labour’s asylum plans
- Keir Starmer grilled about Labour’s asylum plans by an 11-year-old from Iran
- Arvin made the perilous journey to Britain across the Channel on a dinghy
Sir Keir Starmer has been grilled about Labour’s asylum plans by an 11-year-old from Iran who made a perilous journey to Britain across the English Channel on a dinghy.
Arvin, who travelled to the UK from Calais in northern France, revealed how he and his family had ‘no choice’ but to make the 31-mile trip on a small boat.
He quizzed Sir Keir about whether, if he became prime minister, he would work with the French to ‘provide a safe route to the UK for genuine refugees like me’.
The Labour leader agreed there should be ‘safe passages’ for asylum seekers in order to stop criminal gangs cashing in on the ‘misery’ of those making dinghy crossings.
Sir Keir was questioned about his migration plans by Arvin during an appearance on Sky News show FYI, which will be broadcast at the weekend.
Sir Keir Starmer said there should be ‘safe passages’ for asylum seekers in order to stop criminal gangs cashing in on the ‘misery’ of those making dinghy crossings
The Labour leader was quizzed by Arvin, an 11-year-old from Iran who made a perilous journey to Britain across the English Channel on a dinghy
It comes after the Government this week unveiled new legislation aimed at ending the Channel migrant crisis, with Rishi Sunak having promised to ‘stop the boats’.
The Prime Minister has said the Illegal Migration Bill will stop people claiming asylum in the UK if they arrive through unauthorised means.
This means asylum seekers arriving illegally will be detained and face a lifetime ban on returning after they are removed.
They will never be allowed to settle in Britain or gain citizenship.
Mr Sunak has vowed to oversee the ‘swift removal’ of those who enter the UK illegally.
But Sir Keir this week branded the new legislation a ‘gimmick’ and blasted the Government’s ‘utter failure’ to stem Channel crossings.
Campaigners have expressed concerns the only safe routes for claiming asylum in Britain are through limited schemes for those from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
In his quizzing of Sir Keir, Arvin asked if an incoming Labour government would seek to establish further safe routes for refugees.
‘Hi, I’m Arvin. I’m from Iran and I’m a refugee in the UK,’ he told the Labour leader.
‘We ended up in Calais in France and then we had no choice but to cross the English Channel in a dinghy towards England like so many families before us.
‘Mr Starmer, the Government says that they want to work with the French authorities to stop people reaching the UK on a boat like my family did.
‘But what about working with the French to provide a safe route to the UK for genuine refugees like me. Would you do that?’
In response to Arvin, the Labour leader insisted that Britain ‘should have safe passages’ for asylum seekers.
‘In this country we’ve always been very welcoming of refugees for many, many years with different conflicts and things going on in the world,’ Sir Keir said.
‘We should have safe passages, in answer to the question, for people to get here.
‘Going across the Channel in a boat is not a safe route and behind that there are criminal gangs who are running those routes.
‘And so they are making money out of the misery of people who are in a desperate, desperate situation.
‘So we need safe routes so we don’t have unsafe routes like the Channel crossings and we don’t allow those gangs to exploit people, put them in that awfully dangerous situation.’
FYI will be available to view on demand on Sky Kids and streaming service NOW om Saturday.
It will also be aired on Sky News at 10.30am, 2.30pm and 4.30pm on Saturday and 10.30am and 2.30pm on Sunday.
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