Boris Johnson needs to take responsibility for immigration spike, says his former right-hand man
Former right-hand man Boris Johnson has said the UK is responsible for “opening” its borders and must take responsibility for the post-Covid surge in legal immigration.
Danny Kruger, the newest Reform MP after leaving the Conservatives last month, said he had repeatedly praised Mr Johnson for taking the country out of the EU, even describing the former prime minister as his “hero”.
But to talk IndependentMr Kruger said Mr Johnson, who resigned as Prime Minister in the wake of the Partygate scandal, should take responsibility for the so-called ‘Boriswave’, a term coined by Nigel Farage to describe the post-Covid surge in legal immigration.
It comes after Mr Johnson defended himself against accusations that Nigel Farage was behind a “Boris wave” of post-Brexit immigration rules that saw net migration reach a record high of 906,000 in the year ending June 2023.
Mr Johnson said the figures were affected by the war in Ukraine and the relocation of Hong Kongers, as well as the return of EU students upon completion of courses.
Mr Kruger, who is the MP for East Wiltshire and served as Mr Johnson’s political secretary before becoming a Conservative MP in 2019, said: “The great achievement of Brexit, and the reason why I believe Boris Johnson is a hero, is that we took back control of our borders, our laws, our money, and I think that was a tremendous achievement. We should always be grateful to Boris.”
“The problem is that we took back control of our borders, then essentially opened them up to the rest of the world, thus restricting European immigration while inviting immigration from elsewhere.
“I’m afraid yes, he needs to take responsibility as the leader of the government that did this for what we call the “Boris wave”.
Mr Johnson was speaking Telegram When he reacted to comments about his leadership by Mr Farage, who last month called him “one of the worst prime ministers in British history”.
Meanwhile Mr Kruger said Times In 2023, he said Mr Johnson, with whom he worked until the 2019 Conservative Party election victory, saw him as “one of those who abandoned him”.
In his new role as head of Reform’s “government readiness” department, Mr Kruger said tackling mass immigration was an important policy for the party.
He said part of this would be examining the cases of those who came to the UK during the “Boris wave” and that the party aims to abolish indefinite leave to remain (ILR) for immigrants.
The party claims the measure, which also includes a halt to welfare for all but British citizens, would save more than £200bn.
Mr Kruger said: “We have millions of people who have come to this country and are now on their way to permanent settlement rights here with indefinite leave to remain.
“We are determined to lift this scheme, not just for the future, but for the people who are currently here with ILR status, because these are the people who came because of Boris and they will have to show that they are making a positive contribution in the future, that they can speak English. [and] “If they’re going to stay, they’re not dependent on welfare.”
But the proposal to abandon ILR has been condemned by immigration charities and think tanks, who warn of labor shortages in the care sector as well as the crippling uncertainty facing thousands of immigrants who will have to re-apply for permission to remain in the UK every five years.
Mr Kruger announced he was joining Reform last month, claiming the Tory party was “finished” after failures on issues such as mass immigration and Brexit.
