A resident of Crowborough has accused the Labour Government of “tearing the fabric of this country apart” with its handling of Britain’s migrant crisis.
Speaking to GB News, Andrew Tuck said the way Prime Minister Andy Burnham is handling the crisis by dispersing asylum seekers into communities is “all wrong”.
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Mr Burnham has previously argued that all parts of the country must have their share of housing asylum seekers.
He said: “I do have to say we cannot have a situation where it’s only the poorest communities in the country that receive all of the dispersal of refugees and asylum seekers.
“I do believe all parts of the country need to work, to play their part. It’s a challenging issue.”
Discussing the crisis on GB News, Mr Tuck backed the community of Piddington and their plans to hold a referendum to “leave HMO Britain”.
He said: “It doesn’t surprise me that they’ve heard nothing from the Government or the Home Office. We certainly didn’t down here in Crowborough since last October, and we still haven’t got any consultation with the Government over our situation.
“As for Piddington going for this referendum, I think it’s a fabulous idea. It sort of reminds me of the 1949 film Passport to Pimlico, where Pimlico decided to leave the UK because they didn’t like the way it was going. That was a comedy film, the problem is this is no comedy in what is happening here.”
Mr Tuck argued that Crowborough could also declare themselves “independent” to the UK if they wanted to.
He said: “Crowborough is the second highest place in Sussex, I don’t think we’d have a problem building battlements around Crowborough and declaring ourselves independent in the UK.
“I certainly don’t like the way this Government is handling things and the way it’s tearing the fabric of this country apart, and it’s not something I really want to be part of.”
Asked by host Martin Daubney what his message would be to the Prime Minister, Mr Tuck declared: “He says he’s travelling the country and he’s listening to people – okay Andy, come down to Crowborough, talk to me and talk to other people down here about what we’re going through, what our feelings are.
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“This idea about you spreading it throughout the country, and we’ve all got to play our part, no. I’m sorry, I just don’t see that.
“I didn’t pay 51 years in the tax system to have my money given away to people who aren’t citizens of this country. I just don’t think it’s a good idea. It’s all wrong the way it’s being done.”
Criticising the Labour Government further, Mr Tuck argued that Britons are being treated like “second class citizens” in favour of asylum seekers.
He told GB News: “We’re just being treated like second class citizens, we’ve just been sold down the river. It’s just been a case of you’ve got these people in your town now, just get on with it, with absolutely no consideration whatsoever for us or how we feel about it.
“We get no information from the Home Office, we don’t know who the people are, we don’t know where they’ve come from.
“So when you have a complete lack of information, you’re in the situation where you look to the worst and hope for the best because you’ve got nothing to go on.”
In a statement, a Downing Street spokesman has told GB News: “The concerns of communities are central to our immigration reforms, which is why we are working with local authorities and others to make the system fairer by housing asylum seekers in basic accommodation, including ex-military sites.
“Five military sites are either in use or being explored. We have already seen results.
“The population of asylum seekers in hotels has fallen by 35 per cent in the last year, and by 63 per cent from the peak of 56,000 in 2023. Overall, asylum costs have already fallen by nearly £1billion since the general election.”
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