Tory MP refuses to call Ceuta crisis an ‘invasion’ after 60,000 migrants storm Spanish city
A Tory MP has refused to describe the Ceuta crisis as an “invasion” after 60,000 migrants stormed the Spanish city.
Rebecca Paul was speaking to GB News after the Spanish army was deployed to the exclave on the North African coast to repel the huge influx.
Footage of the scenes shocked Europe, where thousands of mostly young men swam and scrambled over border protections and charged Ceuta’s streets.
At least 77 people are known to have died so far in the carnage, with the Spanish army managing to mostly restore order and return most of those who had breached the city barriers.
In the wake of the chaos, GB News host Emily Carver asked Ms Paul: “Do you believe what we've seen as an invasion?”
“I think the images are devastating and terrifying,” the Tory MP said.
“It must have been awful for those people in Ceuta when that happened."
“Why don’t politicians want to use that word invasion? Because that's what people are describing it as,” Emily cut in.
“Because an invasion is coordinated and plannedm" Ms Paul insisted.
“Did it not seem coordinated? 60,000 young men storming a border all at once?”
“Quite, quite possibly. The point is that I don't have all of the facts, so I won't use words if I can't be sure that I'm using them accurately."
“But what happened is completely unacceptable. And what it does reinforce is the importance of getting our house in order in the UK.
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“We absolutely need to leave the ECHR, and we need to be deporting illegal migrants straight away. We need to focus on securing our own border.”
The remarks drew a response from Emily, who questioned how Spain was able to deploy state power so quickly to get to grips with the crisis despite being signatories of the same agreements that apparently restricted the UK.
“This is what I don't understand, because Spain is also a signatory of the ECHR. They are bound by many of the same international obligations that we are. They were able to use the military to push back these men out of their territory.
“In this case, why are we not allowed to do the same? Why is the British taxpayer still paying to accommodate men who have just turned up at our shore illegally?”
Ms Paul said she “completely agreed” with Emily’s argument, suggesting the UK could follow Spain’s example in rapidly dealing with illegal immigrants in Ceuta.
She added: “We quite often as well see other countries in certain situations push the boundaries of international law, whereas we are more rigid around that. I think we do need to look at the approach we're taking.”
The Reigate MP said the key to handling the UK’s own migrant crisis, in particular small boat crossers breaking into Britain, was about removing “incentives” for them to make the journey.
“We have huge pull factors here, which are attracting illegal migrants over to the country," she said.
“We need to put a stop to the hotels and the endless benefits so that people don't want to come.
“It is the compassionate thing to do as well,” she stressed, adding: “People are dying in the channel. We need to put a stop to it.
“It's the right thing for the country.
"It's also the right thing for these migrants.”
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