Nigel Farage has suggested the UK has “gone soft” following reports Germany could send migrants to Rwanda.
The Reform UK leader also believes the German migration commissioner’s suggestion to send migrants to the East African country is a direct response to the success of the Alternative for Germany (AfD).
Mr Farage said: “If you think we have a problem with illegal immigration, it’s nothing compared to what happened in European Union since 2015, with large numbers crossing the Mediterranean and also reaching Europe from the east.
“And it’s really interesting that in Germany, a country that has always tried to be very liberal and tolerant about these things, politics is changing very, very quickly.
“We saw over the weekend the AfD win a state election, almost win a second state election in the former East Germany.”
Speaking with GB NewsHe added: “And now today, a proposal comes from the German migration commissioner, Joachim Stamp, who was saying, what we should do is send people to come illegally to Germany, to wait for Rwanda. To go to the same blocks that were actually built and paid for with British taxpayers’ money.
“So what’s really going on? And you can go to Scandinavia, you can go to Denmark, you can go to Germany, you can go to Southern Europe, where you’ll find the talk about illegal immigration, the political talk, it’s getting very, very difficult indeed.
“There is much talk about the removal of benefits and indeed just this week the deaths of those 12 people near Cap Gris-Nez were blamed by a French politician on the British for being too generous.
“In light of this German proposal, ask yourself: have we become soft?”
Germany could use asylum facilities in Rwanda originally earmarked for the UK’s aborted migration programme, reports from Berlin have suggested.
The country’s migration commissioner, Joachim Stamp, suggested the EU could use existing asylum accommodation in the east African country, originally intended for migrants deported from Britain under the now-scrapped scheme.
The Rwanda plan, launched by Conservatives in power, aimed to dissuade migrants planning to cross the English Channel in small boats from making the journey under threat of deportation to Kigali.
Sir Keir Starmer scrapped the scheme, which ministers said had cost £700m last year alone, when Labour came to power in the summer.
As in the UK, Germany’s ruling coalition is facing pressure to restrict unauthorized migration into the country, with recent regional elections seeing the far-right anti-immigration political party AfD gain momentum at the polls.
Asked about reports that Germany could work with the Rwandans on such a scheme, using facilities originally built for the UK, a No 10 spokesman said they would not comment on discussions between other nations.
“Policies pursued by other countries are a matter for them. Our position on Rwanda is well known,” they added.