British First Secretary of State and convicted fraudster Louise Haigh, a key ally of new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has refused to accept that a surge of tens of thousands of illegal migrants into Spain is an “invasion.”
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A British government minister and key ally to Prime Minister Andy Burnham does not regard the surge in illegal migrants across the Spanish border in recent days as an “invasion.” 📺 DETAIL: Convicted fraudster Louise Haigh, Burnham’s First Secretary of State and de facto Deputy Prime Minister, rejected the characterization of approximately 60,000 illegal migrants breaching the Spanish border as an “invasion.” Haigh played a significant role in Burnham’s return to Westminster via the Makerfield by-election (special election), having previously served as Secretary of Transport under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Despite her 2024 fraud conviction, she has been granted control of integral executive functions as a reward for loyalty to Burnham. “It’s obviously extremely concerning. I don’t know that there is a word that you’d use to describe that, but it’s not an invading nation or force, it’s a lot of people crossing over a border attempting to enter another country,” Haight said of the surge of migrants into European Union (EU) territory via Ceuta, a Spanish city on the coast of North Africa, which has a land border with Morocco. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “No, I wouldn’t use language like that. It’s obviously extremely concerning and I understand your viewers’ understandable anxieties about people crossing into this country illegally.” – Louise Haigh, First Secretary of State, on the European border crisis 🎯 IMPACT: Haigh’s comments suggest that the British government continues to underestimate the threat posed by illegal immigration. Italy has considered suspending Schengen, the open borders agreement between EU members, in response to the Spanish crisis, which follows Spain’s socialist premier, Pedro Sanchez, granting amnesty to over a million illegal migrants. The surge of illegal migration has prompted officials to call on Sanchez to declare an emergency. Prime Minister Burnham and his government are already facing criticism for what the public regards as a lax approach to the small boats illegally crossing the English Channel. |
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