Nigel Farage has called for Britain to give a “different meaning” to net zero, as he hit out at the country’s growing migration crisis under Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Government.
The leader of Reform UK sat down for an in-depth interview with GB News to discuss how the UK can best tackle the UK’s “exploding” immigration.
Since Starmer’s landslide General Election victory in July, 10,000 recorded illegal migrants have made the Channel crossing into Britain.
Speaking to GBN America reporter Steven Edginton, Farage was questioned on how he would approach arguably the country’s biggest issue, and if the current Government should completely close the borders to Britain.
The Reform UK leader said Britain should ‘pretty much’ completely close their borders
GB News
Farage said: “Pretty much, I think that’s what we should aim for. Let’s give net zero a different meaning.
“People are always going to come and go, and we are a country that’s engaged in international trade and we have relationships around the world through the Commonwealth. But we have to aim at a balanced migration policy.”
Pressing Farage further, Steven argued that even with “net zero” on migration, it would still mean “hundreds of thousands of immigrants coming into Britain”.
He responded: “It may well do, but we have to start somewhere. If we can get into people’s minds that we have to try and stop this relentless rise in the population and that having a negative impact, that’s where you start.”
Over 10,000 migrants have crossed into Britain since Labour came into power in July
PA
Highlighting that there is also a number of Britons leaving the country to live abroad, Farage warned that the “one thing Government can’t stop is the people leaving”.
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Farage explained: “I have to say, I’m very worried about the numbers that are leaving. It isn’t just the rich that are going to Dubai, it’s the 30-somethings, it’s the entrepreneurs.
“It’s the people who put up or borrow risk capital, what the Government or Jeremy Hunt would call unearned income. It’s just unbelievable where we’ve got to, and I’m worried that the entrepreneur class is leaving, and we haven’t had this phenomenon since the late 1970s.”
Expressing concern for the economy in Britain, Farage claimed that Labour is set to “carry on the same policy” as the Tories in their October Budget.
He said: “I’m pretty worried about the Budget on October 30, but I remind myself that it’s Jeremy Hunt as Chancellor who talked about how bad unearned income is, who slashed the levels at which you have to start paying capital gains tax, and who began to demonise the non-doms.
Nigel Farage admitted he is ‘worried’ about the upcoming Labour Budget in October
GB News
“So all Labour are doing is just carrying on with the same policy, and I am worried about the calibre and quality of those that are leaving.”
Turning the discussion back to the issue of migration, Steve asked Farage if he would support mass deportations, to which he claimed: “If people come illegally, they should not be allowed to stay, simple.
“The only way you’re ever going to solve the Channel is if they know that, number one, they’ll never be granted refugee status by coming via this route, and number two, that they’re not going to stay. It’s dead simple.”
