Finally, an MP with balls.
British immigration minister Mark Harper and a five-time failed Iraqi asylum seeker clashed live on air yesterday.
The two confronted each other on Sunday Politics West, the west of England's regional version of the national Sunday Politics.
Harper, the Tory MP for Forest of Dean, told Esam Amin that he has no right to be in Britain and that he should leave.
During the highly charged confrontation on the BBC (a left wing organisation which supports immigration, so a lot of its personnel would have been choking on their fairtrade coffee in horror at this incident), Mr Harper said neither the government nor the courts believed Mr Amin’s claims and the British taxpayer should not support him.
Mr Amin’s claims to asylum have been rejected five times in the past six years.
The minister said it was now time to leave the country.
During a 10-minute row, Mr Harper told him: ‘We are very clear Mr Amin has had the chance to claim asylum, his case has been looked at very carefully by the government, we didn’t find it credible.
‘We have a fair system where he is able to go through a legal process and the judge didn’t find his claim credible, in fact he said parts of his claim were “not credible and ridiculous”.
‘I’m afraid he has no right to be in the United Kingdom and he should leave.’
'You have no right to be in the UK and you should leave': Extraordinary moment immigration minister tells five-time failed asylum seeker to go home on live TV
Tory Mark Harper says Iraqi Esam Amin has no right to stay in Britain
Highly charged confrontation organised by BBC television producers
Mr Amin has lost legal bids for asylum in the UK six times since 2008
Mr Harper said claims were ‘ridiculous’ and he ‘should leave’ the country
Furious immigration minister Mark Harper personally told a failed asylum seeker to go home – on live television.
The senior Tory told Iraqi Esam Amin that his claims to stay in Britain were ‘ridiculous’ and he ‘should leave’ the country.
During the highly charged confrontation on the BBC, Mr Harper said neither the government nor the courts believed Mr Amin’s claims and the British taxpayer should not support him.
Leave: Tory minister Mark Harper (left) said Iraqi Esam Amin had no right to stay in Britain after repeatedly losing claims for asylum in the courts
Mr Harper, who has taken an increasingly tough line on illegal immigration, signed off the controversial ‘Go Home’ ad vans which toured London this summer.
He came face to face with Mr Asim on BBC1’s Sunday Politics West, making clear that the Iraqi had no right to stay in Britain.
Mr Amin’s claims to asylum have been rejected five times in the past six years.
The minister said it was now time to leave the country.
During a 10-minute row, Mr Harper told him: ‘We are very clear Mr Amin has had the chance to claim asylum, his case has been looked at very carefully by the government, we didn’t find it credible.
‘We have a fair system where he is able to go through a legal process and the judge didn’t find his claim credible, in fact he said parts of his claim were “not credible and ridiculous”.
‘I’m afraid he has no right to be in the United Kingdom and he should leave.’
Mr Amin claimed his life would be in danger if he was sent back to Iraq.
But he admitted he has failed in his bid to claim asylum in Bristol five times since 2008.
He told the programme: ‘I am not an illegal person, I am an asylum seeker, I am a human being like you.
‘My life in my country is in danger that’s why I decided, and I left my family and everything, to come here. I claimed asylum, I came to find a safe place.
‘I know my story is true and your system doesn’t believe me.
‘Five times they didn’t believe me which has been going on for nearly six years. I can’t return to my home because my life is in danger there. I am campaigning so I can get my right to a safe place.’
He claimed that he had only £5 to live on after his claim was rejected.
But Mr Harper said the British taxpayer should not have to pick up the tab for someone who has no right to be here.
The minister added: ‘With the greatest respect when you were here claiming asylum taxpayers supported you, you now have no right to be in the United Kingdom and you should return.
‘We don’t believe you and neither did the judge.’
He went on: ‘Hardworking families will be sat there finding it incredible that someone has had the chance to go through a system, have had a decision, have appealed it to a judge and they have been found not to have the need for our protection.
‘They would think it is incredible that the taxpayer should continue supporting them to stay in this country and they have no right to be here.
‘It doesn’t give everyone in the world the right to come to the United Kingdom.
'We protect people and we are very generous at protecting people genuinely fleeing persecution, and I think if people abuse our system.
'It will damage the British public’s tolerance for people genuinely fleeing persecution.’
Tough: Mr Harper was the minister who signed off the controversial 'Go Home' ad vans which toured London this summer
Mr Harper has previously argued that the controversial ‘Go home, or face arrest’ poster campaign was not ‘racist’ and is pushing for it to be extended across the country.
He launched a strong attack on critics of the Home Office billboards, claiming they are encouraging those who are in the country illegally to go on breaking the law.
‘No society that encourages people to break its laws can survive,’ Mr Harper said.
‘That, however, is precisely what our critics are asking us to do. They say we should not try to persuade illegal immigrants to leave.’
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