00:00Can I ask you about your plans to bring down legal migration numbers?
00:05In the papers today, this is about closing this loophole.
00:08So foreign students coming here on visas who are then transferring to a healthcare visa
00:14and entering low-paid jobs in order to stay in the country.
00:18So is this going to be a real crackdown on legal migration?
00:22Or is this just, cynically, to do with what you're expecting to be a bruising in the local elections this week?
00:27Is this just trying to bid off the threat of Reform UK?
00:34We're absolutely committed to bringing migration numbers down.
00:38That was in our manifesto. So it's got absolutely nothing to do with any other party.
00:42It's fundamentally a Labour commitment to having a fair immigration system,
00:48but also one that works for our economy.
00:50And by the way, we've seen record numbers of deportations under Labour.
00:5424,000 people who shouldn't be here being deported since the 4th of July.
00:59A significant increase in the number of foreign national offenders being deported.
01:04So we recognise that we inherited a terrible mess in terms of our asylum and immigration system.
01:10Record numbers coming into our country.
01:12We're getting on top of that, but it's not going to be the work of 24 hours.
01:18But Stephen, what I don't understand is we're talking about people who should be here and people who are entitled to be here
01:25and people who you, the government, say, yeah, that's OK, you can come here and you can fill those jobs.
01:32And I don't think any of us have much of an issue with that.
01:35Absolutely. Look, you know, immigration has been a real benefit to our country in many, many ways in terms of our economy,
01:45our society, the diversity of our culture, the creativity of our country, our sporting achievements.
01:51You know, the list goes on.
01:53But it is absolutely clear that under the Conservatives, it just spiralled out of control.
01:59And Boris Johnson deliberately took measures to open the floodgates.
02:04And that's something that we're now having to clear up the mess.
02:08So you're absolutely right.
02:10It's about making sure that we have control over the system, control over our borders and a strategic plan for immigration that works for our economy.
02:18But you don't have control over our borders, do you?
02:21Because since January, we're expecting to pass this threshold today, 10,000 small boat arrivals since January.
02:30You have promised to smash the gangs.
02:32It's anything but.
02:36Well, it's absolutely right that we've got to get those numbers coming across on small boats down.
02:43The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary are absolutely committed to doing that.
02:47We've set up the Border Control Agency.
02:50We are working to smash the gangs through work with our international partners.
02:57We've got to stop this problem at source.
02:59Also very encouraging to see or encouraging to see conversations moving forward in terms of our European partners and allies.
03:07But it is going to take some time because this situation was allowed to spiral out of control under the previous government.
03:15But the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister are straining every sinew to get on top of this issue.
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