Ant Middleton questions Portsmouth council after motion to ban migrant landings rejected: ‘Whose side are you on?’

Ant Middleton has accused Portsmouth City Council of being “completely out of touch” after councillors rejected a motion that would have barred the city from being used as a landing site for small boat migrants rescued in the English Channel.

Speaking to GB News, the former SAS officer questioned whether the authority was prioritising those who had broken into Britain over locals' concerns.

Tensions have boiled over across the south coast of England in the past weeks, with protestors assembling at sites where the RNLI deposited migrants before they could be processed and dispersed around the country.

Reform councillor George Madgwick had lodged the proposal, writing that the coastal city was “not a suitable disembarkation point” for rescued migrants and “must not be permitted to become one”.

However, councillors voted 24 to 13 to reject the motion yesterday.

Ahead of the vote, Mr Middleton had spoken in favour of the motion in an impassioned speech at the Portsmouth Guildhall.

“Whose side are they on and whose human rights do they stand up for? The human rights of illegal immigrants coming here on dinghies?” the former SAS man asked, reacting to the defeat on The People’s Channel.

“What about the human rights of our own people? What about the human rights of our own citizens? What about the human rights of our military?” he asked.

Mr Middleton accused the authorities of “facilitating and aiding” what he described as “undocumented illegal criminal activity” taking place “right in front of our eyes”.

The veteran also defended those protesting the landings, arguing that politicians had become disconnected from the reality on the “grassroots”.

“There's such a divide,” Mr Middleton despaired.

“The politicians and the current government live in a bubble. They have no affiliation with what happens at the grassroots, with the residents.”

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“They sit in their office blocks, and they type emails away, and they haven't got a clue what's going on.”

He said residents felt “let down” and “betrayed”, while accusing politicians of failing to explain why the situation was continuing.

“When there are no answers, no one can answer — why is this happening? Why are they allowing this to happen?

“There's zero leadership. There's zero accountability. And there's no one willing to roll up their sleeves and be there for the general public, our citizens, to stand up for them and have a voice for them.”

Turning to his former collegues in the armed forces, Mr Middleton highlighted Portsmouth's “proud” naval tradition.

“Our military are completely demoralised. They should be patrolling the waters.”

The veteran said he had taken an oath “to protect Queen and country” and the citizens within it.

“Now, the Navy and Portsmouth, being the flagship naval city, can do neither,” he said, adding: “They're not protecting their citizens, and they're certainly not protecting their country.”