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Priti Patel: BBC guilty of ‘xenophobia’ over Rwanda refugee deal
Priti
Patel has accused the BBC of exhibiting an "undercurrent" of
xenophobia when reporting the
Government's new immigration deal with Rwanda.
Reigniting a
war with the broadcaster, the Home Secretary said she was "taken
aback" by the tone of BBC journalists' references to the African country
when she announced the agreement 10 days ago.
In an
interview with The Telegraph, Ms Patel said she had identified
"undercurrents" from the corporation that were also visible in
criticism from MPs in the Commons last week.
Setting
out her view on the BBC's approach to the policy, Ms Patel added: "There
are always going to be critics, and we live in a free country."
The
Government has been roundly criticised by opposition MPs over
the deal, which will allow migrants who arrive in the UK illegally to be
sent to Rwanda so they can be considered for asylum and resettlement in the
East African state.
Ms
Patel insists it will help to save lives by deterring people from making
the journey across the Channel in small boats.
Last
week Andrew Griffith, the Prime Minister's policy chief, told constituents it
was "sadly not possible to be in favour of unlimited, open door migration
and simultaneously to protect our local communities from unsustainable
development".
Responding
to the announcement last week, Labour described the Rwanda deal as
"unethical", with one backbencher warning of the dangers of
subjecting migrants to "an authoritarian regime with one person in power
for 30 years".
Ms
Patel said: "When you hear the critics start to stereotype, start to
generalise, first of all that's all very offensive. It's deeply offensive, and
it's based on ignorance and prejudice, some of this, in my view.
"I
could call them lazy and sloppy characterisations, but actually they're not. I
heard plenty of that not long after the announcement was made.
"I
was in Parliament on Tuesday and there are undercurrents, if I may say so, of
just sheer xenophobia, which I think is absolutely appalling.
"For
others, who speak in disparaging, belittling and prejudicial, ignorant ways
about a country that is our partner, quite frankly [it] is offensive, but I
think also based on ignorance as well."
Ms
Patel spoke out after a row in which Boris Johnson denied that he said
the BBC was "harder on the asylum policy than it is on Putin",
having been challenged by Sir Keir Starmer over alleged remarks to Tory MPs.
Sir Keir later withdrew his claim.
Asked
about the BBC's coverage of the issue, Ms Patel said: "I was questioned by
them last week, in Rwanda. They had a travelling delegation with us. And I was
quite taken aback just by the tone of references to Rwanda.
"I've
already referenced the type of undercurrent, without actually understanding the
details, and not even recognising the resettlement work of Rwanda first and
foremost, the track record, and how recent that has been and how the EU has
funded that as well, just even some of the details.
"From
my perspective, it's a shame. However, there are always going to be critics,
and we live in a free country, in a democracy – not everybody's going to like
the approach of a Conservative government or a Conservative Home
Secretary."
While
in Rwanda, Ms Patel was asked by a senior BBC journalist whether she was
"really sure about this idea" in light of a
deal Israel struck with Rwanda a few years ago which saw "many of
those people ending up in the hands of people traffickers, murdered, raped,
tortured, and enslaved". She replied: "The answer is yes."
A BBC spokesman said: "The government’s agreement to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda led to considerable public debate. Journalists from the BBC and other media were there to report the story and ask questions about the plan."
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk