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Giving illegal migrants 'temporary legal status' is a 'very good idea', Ed Davey tells GB News
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Aug 28, 2025
Sir Ed Davey has demanded an "apology" from Nigel Farage and the Conservatives as he laid blame on "Brexit" for Britain's surging migrant crisis.Speaking to GB News, the Liberal Democrats leader claimed they "caused the problem" of record-breaking illegal migration numbers by campaigning for Brexit.FULL STORY HERE.
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0:00
Can I ask you about the Lib Dem stance on the use of asylum hotels
0:03
Because the Refugee Council this morning is calling on the Home Secretary
0:07
to adopt what they're describing as a practical proposal. So they are talking about giving temporary legal status to migrants from five countries
0:16
those countries being Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan and Syria. So they currently make up about four in ten of people that are housed in asylum hotels
0:26
By their calculations, they think by doing this, the Home Office could end the use of asylum hotels by March of next year
0:34
What do you think of that as a plan? Is that something you'd be supportive of? Yeah, I think it's a very good idea
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Liberal Democrats have long argued that people waiting months and months for asylum applications
0:47
having to be housed in hotels at great expense to the taxpayer, should actually be asked to work
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and therefore they, rather than costing us, can actually contribute to our economy and to the exchequer
0:59
It seems a sensible approach. Liberal Democrats have long argued that these asylum hotels are a sign of the mistakes of the Conservatives
1:08
the failure of the Conservatives over immigration. They first of all failed to process asylum applications quickly enough
1:15
Indeed, they deliberately created this backlog, which led to the hotels in the first place
1:19
The hotels are the Conservatives' fault. And then if we going to now solve that and prevent that mistake going on and costing us all a fortune I think things like not just processing the applications more quickly but getting people to actually work and interview seems a sensible way forward
1:38
It's not the only thing we need to do. We do need a lot of international cooperation. We've got to stop the small boats in the first place
1:43
But in terms of dealing with asylum hotels, this is definitely one way we should look at
1:49
Well, look, we're out of time, so I'm going to get told off. But just very briefly, the problem with that is, surely, that it's sort of saying it's open arms, isn't it
1:56
If you're from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan, Syria, just come. You're going to be allowed to stay
2:05
No, because it's temporary. And if they fail their assignment application, they'll be deported, as they should be
2:12
The truth is, the small boats is a sign of policy failure
2:17
The Conservatives to blame. Actually, Nigel Farage is to blame. You know, before we left the EU, before Brexit, we had a returns agreement with every European country
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which meant we could, through the Dublin Convention, automatically return people on small boats
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And now that was broken, we don't have that legal power anymore
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and the French and others have made it very difficult for us to return these people in small boats
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It's got far, far worse. We didn't have this problem before Brexit
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So I think Nigel Farage, who's been very vocal, hasn't he, over the summer, should start with an apology, and the Conservatives should apologise
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They caused this problem. They have wasted billions of pounds, and all these people protesting
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they should be protesting at Nigel Farage and the Conservatives who cause this chaos
3:02
OK, so, Ed Davey, it's good to talk to you
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