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Nigel Farage's anti-immigration poster splits Brexit camps Boris Johnson tries to calm immigration row with call for amnesty
(about 1 hour later)
Leading Brexiters have become embroiled in a row over Nigel Farage’s controversial “breaking point” poster as the leave campaign struggles to unite on its key issue of immigration in the final week before the referendum. Boris Johnson has sought to change the rhetoric about immigration from the campaign for Britain to leave the EU, calling for an amnesty for migrants who entered the UK illegally more than 12 years ago.
As David Cameron and George Osborne attempted to hammer home the remain campaign’s economic arguments, leave campaigners Michael Gove and Chris Grayling attacked Farage, the Ukip leader, over his poster’s portrayal of a queue of mostly non-white refugees above the slogan: “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all.” The former London mayor made the call at a major rally in London on Sunday, as campaigners for Brexit face accusations that the debate about immigration has become too toxic in the heat of the referendum campaign.
The leave camp is expected to concentrate on immigration for the final four days of the campaign, while the remain camp will attempt to highlight the economic benefits of staying in. Johnson’s words on immigration prompted a handful of boos and shouts of “No” from people in the crowd, but he said the amnesty would help those trapped and “unable to contribute to this economy, unable to pay taxes, unable to take proper part in society”.
Gove, the justice secretary, was interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, which reflected upon the death of the Labour MP Jo Cox. Since her killing on Thursday, her family and many mainstream politicians have called for the nature of political discourse to be toned down, particularly around the EU referendum. He argued such a scheme could form part of a wider immigration policy which would help stop extremism based around the subject.
“When I saw that poster I shuddered,” Gove said. “I thought it was the wrong thing to do.” “It is the humane thing to do, it is the economically rational thing to do, and it is taking back control of a system that is, at the moment, completely out of control,” Johnson argued. “If we take back control of our immigration system with an Australian-style points-based system we will be dealing fairly and justly with every part of the world, and we will be neutralising people in this country and across Europe who wish to play politics with immigration, and who are opposed to immigration. That is the way forward, to neutralise the extremists.”
However, he defended the decision by Brexit campaigners to discuss the birthrate of countries such as Turkey. “It is important when we are talking about migration to look at numbers, especially because the birthrate [in Turkey] is so high,” he said. His comments appear to be an attempt to detoxify the issue of immigration for the Leave campaign, after Ukip unveiled a controversial poster showing a queue of migrants with the slogan “Breaking point” and a plea to leave the EU.
In a further move meant to demonstrate a different, inclusive approach to immigration, Boris Johnson, speaking at a leave rally, reiterated his position that he would like to see an amnesty for illegal immigrants. Leave will not shy away from the topic of immigration entirely though, as it is regarded as the campaign’s strongest subject in contrast to Remain’s emphasis on the economy.
“I am in favour of an amnesty for illegal immigrants who have been here for more than 12 years, unable to contribute to this economy, unable to pay taxes, unable to take proper part in society. And I will tell you why; because it is the humane thing to do. It is the economically rational thing do to,” he said. On Sunday, Gisela Stuart, the Labour chair of the Vote Leave campaign, challenged David Cameron to say he would use his veto to stop Turkey entering the EU when he faces a BBC Question Time audience at 6.45pm.
Osborne, the chancellor, told ITV’s Peston on Sunday that the consequences of Brexit could be “quite a lot worse” for the UK than independent economists have forecast. “Both Jeremy Corbyn and George Osborne today said that we should accept having no control over free movement of people into the UK from the EU – we disagree. And senior figures in the In campaign have said that they agree with us.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned on Saturday that Britain could be faced with a long-term hit to its national income of 5.6% if it failed to strike a deal to access the European single market on leaving the EU. “‘Government policy and EU policy is to have five more countries join the EU – including Turkey. It’s also their plan to open up visa-free travel from Turkey after our referendum this year. If we stay in the EU then this is bound over time to lead to further movement of people into the UK. Our communities and public services are already under pressure. To make this worse would be a mistake and the only vote we get on this is on Thursday.
“The central estimate is that our GDP would be 5% to 6% smaller,” said Osborne. “Personally, I think it’s possible it could be quite a lot worse than that. You can’t predict the enormous uncertainty that exiting the EU means for Britain.” “David Cameron should make clear tonight: will he use his veto to stop Turkey joining the EU? Will he stop sending taxpayers’ money to Turkey to help them join the EU? Will he commit to stopping Turkish citizens being given visa-free access to the UK?”
Osborne said there were legitimate concerns about migration, but criticised Brexit campaigners for “whipping up” divisive sentiment with “disgusting” posters. The issue has been further complicated by the murder of the Labour MP Jo Cox, with some commentators and politicians on the Remain side, including Gordon Brown, accusing some Brexit campaigners of stirring up hatred against immigrants.
“I think there is a difference between addressing those concerns in a reasonable way and whipping up concerns, whipping up division, making baseless assertions that millions of people are coming into the country over the next couple of years from Turkey, or saying that dead bodies are going to be washed up on the beaches of Kent – or indeed putting up that disgusting and vile poster that Nigel Farage did that had echoes of the 1930s.” With just four days to go before the vote, the Leave campaign has strongly distanced itself from Ukip and sought to highlight controversial remarks about immigration made by the Remain camp, including Cameron’s reference to a “swarm” of migrants” and Philip Hammond’s description of them as “marauding”.
Farage unveiled the poster in Westminster with the subheading: “We must break free of the EU and take back control of our borders.” The photograph used was of migrants crossing the Croatia-Slovenia border in 2015, with the only prominent white person in the photograph obscured by a box of text. Both Michael Gove, the justice secretary, and Chris Grayling, the leader of the Commons, used TV appearances on Sunday to attack Farage over the poster, with Gove saying it made him shudder.
Ukip’s leader, interviewed by Peston, denied stoking up hatred, adding that he was the victim of hatred. “When you challenge the establishment, they go after you,” he said. Farage, however, defended it, saying he was himself a victim of hatred and claiming the row might not have blown up if it were not for the death of Cox.
Asked whether he was disturbed by Gove’s criticisms of the poster, Farage said: “They have been doing very strong posters, not only about Turkey but about the number of terrorists and criminals who come into Britain under free movement rules.” He told Sky News: “I wish an innocent member of parliament hadn’t been gunned down on the street … That’s the point, and frankly had that not happened, I don’t think we would have had the kind of row that we’ve had over it.”
Farage said Cox’s death was “an act of terrorism” that had shifted the momentum of the debate. “We did have momentum until this terrible tragedy. It will have an impact on the campaign for everybody,” he said. While Vote Leave appeared to be trying to calm the debate down, its efforts were undermined by Andrew Murrison, a Tory MP and former defence minister, who tweeted: “Remain side spinning Jo Cox murder for partisan advantage in #EUReferendum shameful.”
Interviewed later on Sky by Dermot Murnaghan, Farage implied that the poster row had been stoked by the death of Cox. “I wish an innocent MP hadn’t been gunned down, then we wouldn’t have had the debate we’ve had,” he said. Andrew Lilico, chairman of the Economists for Britain group, also attracted controversy by tweeting: “If the future destiny of the west can be decided by a sympathy vote for a murdered woman, what does that say about the virtue of democracy?” He later deleted the remarks.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was questioned by Marr over his party’s immigration policies. Asked if Labour would want to set an upper limit on the number of migrants coming to Britain from the EU, he said: “I don’t think you can have one.” Johnson made no direct reference to the death of the Labour MP Jo Cox as he appeared at the London rally. The only speaker who did was Kate Hoey, who called it “an attack on democracy and on all of us”.
His words may well disappoint some on the remain campaign who have argued that changes could be made to EU rules. However, there was little sign at the event of a less divisive tone, with speeches encouraging boos and jeers against the EU, CBI and IMF, and individuals including Jean-Claude Juncker and Peter Mandelson.
The Remain camp has also not held back from attacking leading Brexit campaigners. George Osborne said the Ukip “Breaking point” poster was “disgusting and vile”, with echoes of 1930s propaganda.
Yvette Cooper, the former shadow home secretary, told ITV’s Peston on Sunday that the Vote Leave campaign should do more to condemn the poster.
“Nigel Farage is still trying to whip up fear and hatred towards refugees who are fleeing from conflict,” she said. “I think it was extremely ill judged of him to describe himself as a victim today.
“And I was also really disappointed that neither Steve Hilton nor, I think actually, Michael Gove, has gone far enough … in condemning that poster, and I also think the rest of the Leave campaign should withdraw their posters on Turkey as well. We all of us have a responsibility not to pit each other against each other in this.”
However, Gove defended the Leave campaign’s tone on immigration and the decision to discuss the birthrate of countries such as Turkey during the debate. “It is important when we are talking about migration to look at numbers, especially because the birthrate [in Turkey] is so high,” he said.
Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, was also asked about the issue during the BBC’s Andrew Marr show, saying he blamed “several years of endless newspaper headlines” for the anti-immigration feeling in large parts of the country.
Asked if Labour would want to set an upper limit on the number of migrants coming to Britain from the EU, he said: “I don’t think you can have one.”
His words may well disappoint some in the Remain campaign who have argued that changes could be made to EU rules.
Corbyn played down suggestions of a split with his deputy, Tom Watson, who last week said EU free movement rules must change. “Tom and I had a chat about this: what we are agreed on is there has to be a greater equality of working conditions … Workers working alongside each other should have the same rights. They don’t,” he said.Corbyn played down suggestions of a split with his deputy, Tom Watson, who last week said EU free movement rules must change. “Tom and I had a chat about this: what we are agreed on is there has to be a greater equality of working conditions … Workers working alongside each other should have the same rights. They don’t,” he said.