Labour’s Clive Lewis sparks anger comparing Sunak migrant plan to ‘concentration camps’
The Norwich South MP, who had previously backed Jeremy Corbyn, made his comments in which he referenced the Boer War after appearing as a guest on the BBC Politics Live show
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
A Labour MP has sparked anger after comparing the UK government’s plan to house migrants in holiday camps to “concentration camps”.
Clive Lewis made the remark on the BBC Politics Live show after commenting on Rishi Sunak’s plan to tackle the migrant crisis and referencing the Boer War in South Africa.
A spokesperson for Labour leader Keir Starmer described the MP’s comments as being “clearly unacceptable” and said the issue of any possible disciplinary action against Lewis was a matter for Labour’s whips.
A Jewish Labour source said Lewis’s concentration camp reference was “in dreadfully poor taste.”
The Norwich South MP, who had defended Jeremy Corbyn during made the comments when asked about the i Paper’s headline which said: “Pontins revolt: Tory backlash at plan to house migrants in holiday camps.”
He said: “I’m looking at that headline…let’s be really clear here my understanding is if you put a group of people concentrated into a camp – as you did in South Africa in the Boer War – it’s what you call a concentration camp.
“It’s a concentration of people. Look what they’re talking about – putting people in camps en masse because of their [the Tory Party’s] mess.
“Let’s just be really clear what we are – that is the technical term.”
Presenter Job Coburn interrupted, telling him: “Language is important here.”
Lewis then claimed: “Language is important but so is motivation and what this government is doing.”
Damian Green, the Tory MP for Ashford, told Lewis: “Every bit of that is nonsense.
“So is the i headline that there’s going to be a huge revolt over taking people out of hotels and putting them in whether it’s holiday camps or former student accommodation. That’s just not true.”
On Tuesday Sunak had outlined plans he said would resolve the UK’s asylum crisis.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer dismissed the proposals as “unworkable gimmicks”.
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