Audience members at the recent episode of Question Time showed their support by applauding a panelist who criticized Nigel Farage during a heated debate on immigration. Daisy Cooper, the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, attributed the increase in asylum seekers arriving in the UK via boats to figures like Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, and the Brexit deal. She directly challenged Zia Yusuf of Reform UK during the immigration-focused program.
Cooper, who represents St Albans, Hertfordshire, stated that Farage should have been present to apologize to the British public for advocating the Brexit deal that led the UK to exit the European Union in January 2020. The audience in Dover, Kent, enthusiastically supported Cooper’s stance.
Highlighting the statistics, Cooper mentioned that there were no asylum seekers arriving by boat in 2017, but the number had surged to 46,000 annually, attributing this change to the Brexit deal supported by Boris Johnson and championed by Nigel Farage.
Despite the positive reception from the audience towards Cooper’s argument, it sparked a clash on the panel. Conservative MP Kieran Mullan dismissed her claims as “utter nonsense,” while Yusuf of Reform UK remained indifferent.
Yusuf, the former chairman of Reform UK, emphasized his party’s commitment to prioritizing British citizens, which triggered a strong response from Cooper, the former Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson. She pointed out that there are alternative options available and that there are voices advocating for the silent majority.
In response to Cooper’s remarks about Farage, Mullan challenged the notion that Brexit was solely responsible for the rise in asylum seekers, citing boat arrivals in Spain and Italy. He argued that the situation was more complex and criticized the claim as baseless.
The topic of immigration has been a recurring theme on Question Time, with recent episodes featuring audience members confronting various figures on their views. In a previous episode, economist Faiza Shaheen challenged political commentator Matt Goodwin on his statements about asylum seekers, receiving widespread applause for her defense of migrants’ aspirations and rights.