Under-fire Suella Braverman booed and hit by protests as she visits ‘crowded’ migrant camp
SUELLA Braverman was booed at a migrant camp yesterday — as it emerged private tenants are being booted out of homes to make way for illegal arrivals.
The under-fire Home Secretary was hit by protests about the crowded Manston facility in Kent.
The scenes came as Dover’s MP warned that landlords needed to be banned from “cashing in” on the migrant boom by kicking out private tenants.
Natalie Elphicke said one mum of seven was “required to leave her privately-rented property on no notice” so it could be handed to small boat crossers.
The Sun revealed last week Home Office contractors were offering landlords lucrative long-term contracts.
Ms Braverman, who used a Chinook chopper for a tour of the Channel operations, visited the camp to thank hard-working staff. But she was heckled for ten minutes by thousands of residents.
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She said later: “To break the business model of the people smugglers, we need to ensure the illegal migration route across the Channel is ultimately rendered unviable.”
The visit came as Jeremy Hunt vowed the Home Secretary is ready to “face the music” over the chaotic situation.
Ms Braverman has come under fire this week following reports of massive overcrowding at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent.
MPs have also blasted the Home Secretary for hiding from the media to avoid facing tough questions.
Conditions at Manston rapidly deteriorated this week, with officials describing the venue as “extremely concerning”.
The facility has capacity for 1,000 people, who are only supposed to be there for two days before being shipped to hotels or hostels.
But on Monday the centre’s population ballooned to 3,000.
It’s now gone back down to around 2,000.
MPs and charities have demanded Ms Braverman answer for the situation, as well as the skyrocketing number of migrants arriving illegally on small boats.
Last Sunday 468 came to Britain by boat, after nearly 1,000 came on Saturday.
There are predictions the overall number of Channel crossings could hit 60,000 by the year’s end.
The overwhelming numbers are putting huge pressure on the asylum system, which has reached breaking point.
This morning Climate Minister Graham Stuart admitted Manston was not operating legally and said “none of us are comfortable with it”.
But this afternoon the Chancellor backed Ms Braverman’s attempts to get a grip of the situation and face accountability.
He said: “We have a system that isn’t working and it’s got particularly bad in the last couple of years.
“You look at the number of small boat crossings, they’ve shot up in the last few years, and we’re determined to grip that problem.”
“The Home Secretary did a number of public appearances this week in Parliament.
“She’s been prepared to face the music this week and I’m sure you’ll continue to have a chance to ask her questions.”
ALBANIA SPIN
EX-BLAIR spin-doctor Alastair Campbell is an adviser to Albania’s loudmouthed PM who says it’s Britain’s fault 10,000 of his men have come here illegally.
Remoaner Campbell boasts of his work for Albanian lefty Edi Rama – who launched a furious tirade against Britain discriminating his people.
Campbell’s website says he has “for some years been a strategic director for the Albanian Socialist Party” that Rama leads.
The Home Office said as many as two per cent of the entire male population of Albania – around 10,000 men – arrived on small boats in 2022 alone.
In Dover Ms Braverman discussed Channel crossings with Border Force patrollers.
She also headed to the Manston and Western Jet Foil processing sites.
Ms Braverman said: “I have met with our expert teams who work tirelessly to save lives and protect the UK’s borders. I wanted to see first-hand how we’re working to reduce the number of people in Manston, support people there, and thank staff for all their efforts.
“I am incredibly proud of the skill and dedication shown to tackle this challenging situation here on a daily basis.”
The Home Secretary added: “This is a complex and difficult situation, which we need to tackle on all fronts and look at innovative solutions. To break the business model of the people smugglers, we need to ensure that the illegal migration route across the Channel is ultimately rendered unviable.”
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Rishi Sunak has described the migrant crisis as a “serious and escalating problem” and admitted that “not enough” asylum claims are being processed.
But the PM insisted the government trying hard to finally get a grip on the situation.