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Ooh good, @JamesCleverly would like to discuss statistics. UK, number of asylum applications 2019, 32,693. France, 154,620. I mean obviously you can argue France is larger, but your still looking at a difference of about 5% land used for buildings there and 2% used in the UK. 1/ https://twitter.com/JamesCleverly/status/1293298482300751877">https://twitter.com/JamesClev...
Now, obviously, it& #39;s also easy to then say "oh you want to sacrifice the landscape", however, by government& #39;s figures UK has 634,435 vacant properties, with 216,186 categorised as long term vacant, and that& #39;s before looking at usable building land, worth in excess of £2billion 2/
But you know, that& #39;s just statistics, which according to @JamesCleverly are "virtue signalling". They can be useful though. Immigration enforcement has been increasing year on year, and year on year governments& #39;, Labour and Conservatives, have failed to stop asylum seekers. 3/
Thing is that you don& #39;t need statistics, just a little commonsense, to tell you that if someone feels they have nothing to lose then they& #39;re going to still make risky journeys to try and find safety. 4/
I& #39;d personally argue that it is the @conservatives at the moment, and likes of @JamesCleverly and @pritipatel who are engaged in what they themselves would classify as "virtue signalling", by enacting policies they know put people at risk while claiming it is to help them. 5/
Accepting UK has tried for decades to enact ever more draconian immigration policies, cut safe routes and reduced support for asylum seekers and it hasn& #39;t made a difference, other than, arguably increasing risks of trafficking, it& #39;s time to think in a different way? 6/
I doubt many people would disagree that we need to combat trafficking and exploitation. So why not @JamesCleverly look at those facts and statistics which @benandjerrysUK provided and start looking for genuine solutions. 7/
Rough sleeping is estimated to cost the UK government £1billion p/a. Costs of implementing policies to combat it, created by Conservative MPs btw, are estimated at £100million. UK immigration enforcement costs £392million. So you take £100million from that to help. 8/
That still leaves you with £292million, which with asylum benefits at £37.75 p/w would fund 148,751 asylum seekers per year, and that& #39;s just a quick calculation. Even taking into account other necessary costs to take out of the £292million you get the idea. 9/
So, you& #39;re right @JamesCleverly, let& #39;s stop "virture signalling", but that means stopping claims that a handful of asylum seekers are a threat, or that making the journey harder is combating trafficking when you know it will increase it. It means actually doing something. 10/
Won& #39;t deny this thread is overly-simplistic, but it& #39;s there to give a principle @JamesCleverly. A very basic summation of why tougher enforcement only risks lives and how there are better ways to deal with crossings. Maybe listen to the ice-cream firm, before dismissing them. 11/
