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LBC caller complains about immigrants... but wants to emigrate
Sep 19, 2025
Caller Simon would quite like to move to France... but when a 'scrounger' on a small boat does it, he takes issue. Ben Kentish points out the 'hypocrisy' in Simon's claims. 'So are you just jealous?' he asks. It comes after US President Donald Trump urged Sir Keir Starmer to deploy the military to crack down on migrants crossing the Channel in small boats. Speaking during a joint press conference with Sir Keir at Chequers, Mr Trump said illegal migration could “destroy” countries as he issued a stark warning to the Prime Minister. Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp #benkentish #trump #immigration #donaldtrump #ukpolitics #debate #refugees #asylumseekers #keirstarmer #france #afghanistan #myanmar #LBC LBC is the home of live debate around news and current affairs in the UK. Join in the conversation and listen at https://www.lbc.co.uk/ Sign up to LBC’s weekly newsletter here: https://l-bc.co/signup
View Video Transcript
0:00
I don't agree with you at all, unfortunately
0:03
Okay. In my eyes, you're a liberal socialist, and I don't agree with your politics, man
0:08
I don't think I am, Simon, but go on. Why do you think I'm wrong on this? Right, these people who come in from France, right, they've all got smartphones
0:16
They're in a safe country. France is nothing wrong living in France. I wouldn't have had the opportunity, right
0:21
They come here because they go on their smartphones, and they see how good and how easy it is for this country to give them, like
0:28
free stuff and everything and everybody in this country right I speak for everybody right let's be honest
0:34
I speak for us all some people are afraid to come on your show to tell you the truth how it is
0:40
but most people are scared to say what I want to say and I'll tell you
0:44
exactly how it is right it could be they're all economic refugees scroungers
0:51
that's what they are what's an economic refugee Simon are they refugees or are they economic migrants
0:57
No, they're not refugees, they're strangers. Right, that was the word you just used. They've got money to give to gangs, right
1:01
You know gangs now. If you look back at it, in history, well, I say history, look back, right
1:08
Gangs used to sell drugs in this country, heroin, all that rubbish, cocaine
1:14
The new commodity is human trafficking. They're making millions and they're getting away with it
1:20
Those traffickers, right, they must be multi, multi, multi, multi-millionaires. I'm sure some of them are, yeah
1:25
They're making millions, do you know what I mean? They're evil, evil, evil people, what they do
1:30
trafficking in human lives. They're disgraceful, right? Because everybody who comes across the channel
1:36
has to pay money to get across here. They don't get up and out. They're awful, Simon, aren't they
1:40
They traffic in human lives. So why do you have so little sympathy for their victims
1:46
If I was around... You know, the only place I can think of..
1:49
Simon, just answer that for me, if you would. Myanmar. Simon, Simon, Simon, Simon
1:54
Answer that if you were, because you've just accepted that the people who are coming here on small boats have been trafficked
2:00
They are the victims of human traffickers. And yet you say they're all scroungers
2:04
Because they been Simon they been sorry Ben sorry beg your pardon Ben they been sold a story right to come here That their job to get them into Britain so they tell them how wonderful this country is A genuine refugee in my book would be somebody from Myanmar who hasn got a single penny right
2:23
But if they hadn't got a single penny, they wouldn't be able to come here, would they? Having a bit of money, having your family's life savings that you hand over to reach our shores
2:33
doesn't mean you're not a refugee. Doesn't mean you're not fleeing torture or persecution or war or famine, does it
2:38
No, I haven't got £8,000. I'm very banked to pay to anybody
2:43
But you just said if you did, you'd move to France, Simon. Well, I'd go to France anyway
2:48
Right, so you'd happily be an economic migrant yourself. You just don't want anyone to do it coming here
2:56
Well, no, I didn't say that. You did. You said they'd still live in France. I'd move to France if I could, you said
3:01
Well, if I... So you would happily be a migrant. You would happily go and start a new life in another country
3:08
France, but you don't, but you seem to have a very, very hostile
3:12
view to some of the people who want to do the same here. Yeah, they come here because
3:16
they believe the rubbish that's being told to them. Doesn't that make you hypocritical, Simon
3:21
If you just told me you would quite like to go and live in France, but you're very angry
3:26
about people coming to... So are you just jealous? Are you just jealous of the people who have the money to come
3:32
and live here? Because you said if you had the money, you'd do exactly what they're doing
3:37
No, I would live in France And they want to live in here, and they do have the money, and they're trying to come here
3:41
So they're no different to what you would do if you had the money. So what's the difference between you and them
3:47
What's the difference, Simon? What's the difference? Simon, Simon, what's the difference between you and them
4:00
I'm not talking about Myanmar. I'm not talking about Myanmar. I'm talking the people who pay money to come and live in this country to start a new life
4:06
You've just told me that if you had money you would do exactly the same thing and go
4:10
and live in France. So what's the difference between you and them? I'm sick of this country, I'll get out here, I've had the money to get out
4:17
You're sick of this country, they're coming from Afghanistan and Syria, you're saying
4:21
you don like this country this liberal prosperous western democracy you want to go and live in France and you hating on people who did exactly the same thing but coming from far worse places than Redcar I would live anywhere else apart from
4:33
You're just like them, Simon, aren't you? You're just like them. You know what I mean? You hate people, but you are basically just like them because you want to do what they are doing
4:40
No. So why do you hate them so much? Ben, I said that they're coming here, they're not genuine refugees, that's what they're not, right
4:48
But even... They are. But even if they're not... I never can't even let anybody in
4:51
Simon, even if they're not, and they are, two-thirds of them are found to have valid asylum claims
4:56
Well, they're not. But all right, but all right, but Simon... How do you know they're genuine refugees? Because the Home Office finds that they are
5:01
meet the criteria for genuine refugees. I don't think they are. The Home Office tells us they are
5:05
Anyway, even if they are all economic migrants, they are all just coming here
5:09
They don't have valid asylum claims. They just want to... They don't like where they come from
5:13
They want to start a new life. That's what you want to do when you go to France
5:17
They want to come here because they believe the stories of the people smugglers, tell them how good it is here
5:24
Yeah, but you want to move to France and start a new life there
5:29
Listen, if I... No, I would actually move to Ireland if I had the chance. Right, so you're not fussed about the country
5:35
that you become an economic migrant in. You just don't want anyone to do it here. No, I'm not an economic refugee
5:41
I mean, I'm not... But if you had the money, you just said you would be. I have got £8,000 to give to..
5:46
Right, but if you do, you'd be out of here to France or Ireland. but you don't like people using the money
5:53
they do have to come and start a new life here do you not see Simon
5:58
that you are criticising people for doing exactly the same thing that you've several times
6:02
now told me that if you had the only thing stopping you doing what they do
6:06
is the means to do it yeah but the problem is they're coming
6:10
here right pretending to be refugees and they're all not the real economic right so if they just said I am an economic
6:16
migrant let me in they we should the wrong economic scroungers that's what they are because
6:23
they've been told a story they believe it so what would you be if you move to France Simon well you'd be an economic scrounger well no because I've got you
6:35
know I got 8 pounds to give to a but if you did if you did all right I hear you but if you did and you moved to France or Ireland would you be an economic scrounger too Well no because I got skills to offer that country
6:46
And they don't? And I think the residents come from there. And you think none of the 50,000 people
6:50
who came here on small boats last year have any skills? No
6:54
The vast majority of people who come here, right, come here on a lie. They pretend..
6:58
They don't have any skills. They don't have any skills. They pretend to slip... You know, they come from..
7:02
Most of the people who come here, right, are basically here to basically..
7:08
There's nothing wrong with them in France. They've got their France. They're here to start a new life like you want to in France and Ireland
7:13
But you can't see the similarities. You just can't see it. You can't see that you are saying that you want to do
7:20
exactly what they are doing. Yeah, if you lived in Afghanistan and you got to Sweden, say, or Germany
7:27
would you be grateful to be there? You would be, wouldn't you? Why would you be more grateful to be there than here
7:32
because they are western countries of freedom and democracy so is britain and you want to leave it
7:39
no the people who come from afghanistan right yeah if they were they should have stood up and
7:45
fight the taliban but they were actually they were scared so they don't like the way their
7:49
country's going so they should start and fight but you don't like the way this country's going
7:53
simon so you're off to france anybody you're a hypocrite i'm sorry i'm going to say it is you
7:59
You are accusing people of all the things that you've just told me you want to do
8:03
They should stay in a safe Western country, but you wouldn't. They're economic migrants, but you've just told me that you want to go and start a new life in France
8:11
And now you're telling me they should stay and make their own country better instead, even though that's not what you yourself would do if you had the money to move
8:18
Ben, they couldn't be here because they sold a story by the Gavis. Simon, we're going around this circle
8:23
I'm trying to just make you see that they're not that different to you. And actually, two-thirds of them are
8:29
They are asylum seekers. They're not moving because they don't like the country. They're moving because they've been persecuted and tortured
8:35
and their families have been murdered and so on. That's why two-thirds of them are found to be genuine refugees
8:41
The rest, if they are economic migrants, well, we can have a debate about how many we take
8:45
but they're not that different to you, Simon, if you want to go and start a new life somewhere else instead
8:49
They're people, just like you and me, and that's what I think we've lost sight of in this conversation
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