MP Richard Quigley has hit out at those ‘exploiting’ Sunday’s migrant drama as he moved to quash rumours about arrivals on the Isle of Wight.
The Labour MP has urged Islanders to remain calm amid a storm of social media speculation following the extraordinary operation, which saw Bembridge and Yarmouth lifeboats help bring around 150 migrants ashore in Portsmouth.
Quigley says he spent 7 hours on the phone and in meetings with Solent MPs, the Home Office and partner organisations as events unfolded, with updates continuing late into Sunday evening.
Now, he has categorically dismissed claims that those intercepted were destined for the Island – as well as rumours of a migrant processing centre being established here.
He said:
“There were no plans to bring them to the Island as we don’t have the facilities to process them. And there are no plans for a centre on the Island.
“Any and all reports of arrivals to the Island are unsubstantiated.”
Those brought ashore in Portsmouth were instead taken to Manston in Kent, where the Home Office initially processes people arriving by small boats.
Quigley has also taken aim at those spreading claims online, accusing some of deliberately whipping up concern following Sunday’s events.
He said:
“That’s why I would urge calm. And appeal to Islanders not to take everything they see posted on social media as fact.
“Some have deliberately tried to exploit yesterday’s events and there’s been unnecessary backlash against the RNLI.”
As previously reported by Island Echo, Bembridge and Yarmouth RNLI were scrambled at around 10:35 on Sunday after a large migrant vessel was identified in the English Channel, roughly halfway between the Isle of Wight and Cherbourg.
Both volunteer crews remained involved for hours, with those onboard eventually brought ashore at Eastney.
Hitting back at criticism of the charity’s involvement, Quigley has strongly defended the Island’s lifeboat volunteers.
He said:
“RNLI crews are volunteers. They volunteer to save lives at sea. And yesterday, they did just that.
“They don’t discriminate or ask questions of those they’re tasked to assist. We’re lucky to have such dedicated and brave crews on the Island who’re prepared to assist when their pager goes off.”
Quigley has thanked the crews for their professionalism and says he will continue liaising with the Home Office while responding to constituents who have raised concerns.
Why were the RNLI scrambled? Do the illegals boats have radios or distress flares? I don’t think so.
The RNLI are complicit in people smuggling, you are a one term MP in a government that is doing everything it can to undermine the UK way of life.
Well do e the people of Portsmouth
But the people were not ‘of Portsmouth’. They were drafted in members of Patriot Platform, an organisation run by a good mate (ex fellow con) of Tommy Robinson, or did you think over 400 people just happened to go out to protest all suddenly wearing black shirts and balaclavas?
The irony of it is is that their mantra is that they are protecting ‘women and children’ from immigrants. The vast majority of the members have previous for violence, many against women. But it’s ok if it’s white on white, apparently.
The organiser of Patriot Platform actually lives in Portsmouth and was first on the scene with a few other Porstmouth residents.
Is the fact that they organised local support and others from the Patriot Platform in a matter of minutes that scares you?
Of course we have more than enough of our own born and bred criminals which is even more reason to vet properly the unknown migrants that are coming in illegally.
Can you verify your statement “The vast majority of the members have previous for violence, many against women”?
Just how many do you know of the 30,000 members of the Patriot Platform? (at current count)
The fact they circumvented the protest laws in order to do so should scare everyone…it would and should have been disallowed on the grounds of their members currently having previously been allied to various splinter organisation since banned under anti- terror law. They think the laws don’t apply to them, yet still they hide behind balaclavas. Once identified, their files are checked. Data cannot be published under privacy laws, unless it relates specifically in context. 40% of previous splinter group members arrested in context have also been identified as having police histories of domestic assault. Of all the in-context protesters the arrest percentage is far smaller than the actually assaults, even if they were only shoves, so lets use what we’ve got; 40% of 30,000 members is a proclivity finding of 12,000 violent, British men.
The leaders of every single group has previous for violence, kidnapping, weapons, drugs, you name it. As for vetting….I’m still chuckling. Danny Tommo hand picks all the members. No-one is refused for violent disorder. They clearly vet them well. They write things like ‘blood on your hands’ in front of the police and try to goad them. What on earth might have made them think there would be blood, who’d cause that? Migrants having a period?
Their cry of ‘only doing it to protect our women and girls from foreign heathens’…statistics:
Almost 1 in 3 women will currently be experiencing some form of domestic abuse.
One woman every four days is murdered by a partner or ex-partner, 50% of rapes also by partner or ex.
Those statistics don’t manifest from nothing. Violent offenders will be violent everywhere and with anyone, there is no off switch. Or nationality.
So which is it. 40% or the vast majority? Or do you just make it up as you go along?
Police sometimes go masked. If that is a criteria for lawbreaking why aren’t they all in jail?
If violent offenders will be violent why, is that an excuse to be soft on illegal migrants most of whom come from countries where the poor treatment of women is endemic? Why add to the statistics? Why do you seem to think that only white crime matters? Do you have a problem with white people?
Sunshine, a fine , excellently put retort to a racist moron.
Spot on. These “protesters” are organised thugs from the same mould as Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts. Our grandfathers and fought a world war to stop this evil and these protests are like spitting in the faces of those who laid down their lives that we might live in freedom.
They also fought the war to stop people entering this country who we didn’t want.
The fact that they were there is good enough for me, why is it people like you find trying to stop illegal people breaking into our country is so bad, most of us don’t want them here so what’s wrong with making an effort to stop them.
You don’t speak for me or any of my friends. We are not racist gimps like inf you & your ill informed cowardly mates. Your hero must be Moseley
What utter nonsense, complicit in people smuggling! Learn some critical thinking skills. And for the record, Richard is an excellent MP.
Me? I’m a conservative who happens to live in his ward.
They were called out by the Coastguard to assist, they are not complicit they were requested. The RNLI don’t ask questions about who they are saving, they are a humanitary organisation who’s one ethic is to save lives.
Did you read Quigley’s words or are too dim to understand them?
Unfortunately both labour & conservatives have no interest in stopping this invasion and the public really don’t believe a word you say
Oh do be quiet quigley,you stated,thank you to the RNLI for rescuing those in peril,they WERE NOT in peril!
they put themselves in that situation by getting into the dinghy in the first place, so they could get all their freebies that my tax pays for!
as an MP you are utterly useless.
The whole thing was a coordinated response in league with the French coast guard who had been shadowing them for 50 miles or more. The Government, the RNLI were both complicit in this event
I agree,useless words from a useless MP.
Oh do be quiet you sad, narrow minded, ill informed racist.
Get your facts right Mr. Quigley. Yes the R.N.L.I.are a fantastic service and save many lives every year. However the illegals on this mega dinghy didn’t need rescuing and their journey made easier by the organisation providing a taxi service. That is what is upsetting the majority of your constituents. If there had been a genuine emergency while they were bringing these people to land they wouldn’t have been able to attend. Think before you come out with stupid comments!!
As you obviously know nothing of fact I suggest you go to the middle of the channel at night in a RHIB. Perhaps also talk to the RNLI. Did they need to stand by when the Fascist Blackshirts followed their criminally convicted racist leader into the sea? Just like lemmings.
get lost quigley you anti british woke fool
As the saying goes, “How can you tell when a politician is lying? – You can see their lips move”
As others have stated the boats were not in danger at any time. It left the island dangerously short on emergency maritime cover.
Labor, pretending to control immigration.
Instead ripping off taxpayers and blaming pensioners for a black hole.
An inept bunch of chancers, wrecking the UK.
So the figures (40% down) are fabricated. What were the figures under the Tories?
Veteran hater!
If the illegal criminals want to come here, they will come here. They won’t give a shit whether it is planned or not, they won’t give a shit if there is a processing center or not. No one will do sod all about stopping it happening because of upsetting the human rights and do gooders/ hand wringers, and the Island hasn’t got any resources to defend it any way. The government will do sod all because it’s not affecting them and will more than likely make a law that we can’t protest and get us arrested for trying to do it ourselves, and plod will be powerless. The worst part of it is, it be the end of the Island as we know it, and decimate tourism.
Oh, and get some sort of border force sorted pre the fan getting hit
Quigley, you and your party are liars, that is proven. You are basically trying to hide behind bullshit. You have not power or knowledge to say that illegals won’t be put here. Burnham hates the south, so it will happen and as proven elsewhere, if this corrupt and anti-british labour party do this there is very little if anything we can do about it… So the only thing left is to protest. Peacefully or not, once people are pushed and are not listened to, they WILL push and fight back. So get off your soapbox Quigley.
Southampton dock and Portsmouth harbour refused to let them land even threatened prosecution if they did. What does this tell you? The RNLI should be prosecuted for aiding and assisting ‘illegal’ immigrants.
Both the RNLI and Border Farce should be fined/prosecuted in exactly the same way that a lorry driver, inadvertently bringing them in via the Channel Tunnel or ferry would be. Only the punishment should be much more severe, because there can be no doubt that the RNLI and Border Farce are deliberately enabling their arrival on UK shores.
people need to touch grass. to heckle the rnli for this is unbelievable. the racism on this island is constantly reaching new levels
It’s not racist to stand up for OUR rights. End of.
‘touch grass.’ What the devil does THAT mean?
Quigley, loves illegal immigrants, hates British Veterans!
These criminals should never have been brought here in the first place, the french were “escorting” them and they should have been sent back, figures are now out showing only 1 in 100 “immigrants” are genuine
Confirms Labore deny what the vast majority are concerned with.
From a party whose leader had less than 25000 votes. Democracy, more like a banana republic.
Are these your thoughts Richard or what you have been told to say from Headquarters Liebour ?
No backbench MP of any ruling Party is ever allowed to think for himself. The Party Whips see to that. High time that system was abolished, but that might mean we got a little nearer to democracy and that would never do.
MP Richard Quigley stated“RNLI crews are volunteers. They volunteer to save lives at sea. And yesterday, they did just that.
“They don’t discriminate or ask questions of those they’re tasked to assist. We’re lucky to have such dedicated and brave crews on the Island who’re prepared to assist when their pager goes off.”
What a load of tosh. the RNLI were NOT saving lives at sea, they were acting as a bus service on behalf of the government. It is high time that the crews of the lifeboats DID DISCRIMINATE and not be used as another arm of the people smugglers.
This is yet another example of members of parliament gaslighting the general public.
It is best to ignore the garbage emanating from the likes of ‘Sunshine’.
Such people will be the first to don the uniform of the Communist regime if and when it has dealt with the decent men and women of this country, as it seemingly plans to do.
If a lorry driver inadvertently brings in illegal immigrants through the Channel Tunnel or on a ferry, he is fined immediately, so why, when the RNLI and Border Farce deliberately enable the illegal immigration of hundreds, indeed thousands of them, are the RNLI and Border Farce not prosecuted/fined accordingly?
Let’s also not forget this man voted against the grooming gangs inquiry so this is no surprise from him!!