Shabana Mahmood’s refugee plan ‘currying favour’ with Andy Burnham as Labour lurches ‘further to the Left’, James Cleverly warns

James Cleverly has accused Shabana Mahmood of unveiling Labour's new refugee scheme to "curry favour" with Andy Burnham.

Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Housing Secretary warned the governing party was lurching “further to the Left” ahead of the expected change in leadership.

Under the proposals, refugees from conflict zones around the world would be given additional “safe and legal” routes into the UK.

It is understood to be based on Canada’s community sponsorship scheme, in which individuals may privately sponsor refugees to come to the UK, providing financial and emotional support for at least a year.

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Ministers argue the scheme would protect those with genuine claims while helping to tackle people-smuggling gangs.

However, it is said that more than 10,000 refugees could be brought to Britain under the programme by 2030.

Mr Cleverly insisted Ms Mahmood’s policy had been timed to appeal to Mr Burnham, who is widely expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader and Prime Minister.

“She's only bringing out this scheme now because she wants to curry favour with Andy Burnham and stay as Home Secretary.

“What she's now doing is pitching to the Left because that's where she thinks Mr Burnham wants her to be,” he told Camilla Tominey.

The former Home Secretary argued the policy was part of a change in direction under Labour’s expected new leadership.

“It looks as if he's going to take the government further to the Left,” Mr Cleverly predicted.

“You can see a load of people positioning themselves to be part of that new left-wing government.”

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To that end, the Shadow Housing Minister warned that such a shift would hamper efforts to manage the migration crisis.

He said: “The problem with the Left is that they think having lots of safe and legal routes reduces illegal migration. It doesn't work like that.

“That requires us to leave the ECHR so that we can actually deport the people that shouldn't be here and have proper control.

“Let's get a grip on illegal migration. Let's get a grip on the people who are abusing the asylum system.

“Once we do that and we get the numbers down and we have public buy-in, yes, then we can look at safe and legal routes.

"Even still, the Shadow Minister credited Ms Mahnood for attempting to address Britain’s migration crisis.

“She was a tough Home Secretary. She kept a number of the visa reforms that I put in place, which had been bringing down legal migration, and that is to be applauded.”

Mr Cleverly argued Britain should first focus on reducing illegal migration before considering new refugee routes.

“If we're going to properly get control of our borders, we've got to do the really difficult things that they are not prepared to do,” he said.

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