Migration: Home secretary told by fellow Conservative that illegal migration is a 'mockery of Brexit'

Lee Anderson, a former Labour councillor who defected to the Conservatives before getting elected in Ashfield in 2019, has called upon Fareham MP Suella Braverman to take tougher action in tackling cross-Channel migration.

It comes after the Mail on Sunday reported that prime minister Rishi Sunak will use a major speech in January to offer voters a clearer vision of the future that includes tougher migration policies and support for families amid the cost-of-living crisis.

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Writing in the paper, Mr Anderson said: ‘I joined the Conservative Party in 2018 because I wanted to get Brexit done, reduce immigration and deliver for my friends and constituents in Ashfield. We voted to take back control of our money, law and borders. Well, this small boats fiasco has shown that we’ve lost control of all three.

‘We’re making a mockery of Brexit, the rule of law and of the kindness and generosity of the British people. So, I’m putting my party on notice.

‘I can longer keep making excuses to the hard-working people of Ashfield whose taxes are being used to house illegal immigrants in four-star hotels while our own homeless are out on the streets.’

Ms Braverman has been placed under the microscope for her handling of illegal migration, following an outbreak of diptheria at the Manston processing centre in Kent.

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The Home Office has confirmed that vaccinations will be given out at the centre. A spokesman said: ‘We take both the welfare of those in our care and our wider public health responsibilities extremely seriously.

‘As such, we will continue to work closely with the NHS and UK Health Security Agency to support the individuals affected and limit transmission of the infection, including providing diphtheria vaccines.’

Ms Braverman has vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to tackle the ongoing problems with illegal migration.

She said: ‘The British public are fair-minded, tolerant and generous in spirit. But we are fed up with the continued flouting of our laws and immigration rules to game our asylum system.

‘The prime minister and I are committed to doing whatever it takes.’