'It doesn't sit well': Nadhim Zahawi on former Tory colleagues' anti-immigrant language

Former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi’s family came to the UK seeking asylum from Iraq. So how did he feel about his party’s approach to immigration?

In brief…

• Nadhim Zahawi tells Emily Maitlis the language used by his former ministerial colleagues about immigrants does not “sit well” with him.
• Emily asks why he never called out his former colleagues for “demonising” immigrants at the time.
• He welcomes a grown up debate, including a parliamentary vote, on how to address increased levels of migration to the UK.

What’s the story?

Nadhim Zahawi has said the last Conservative Government’s “demonisation” of immigrants does not “sit well” with him.

Voices on the right of the Conservative party became notorious for their anti-immigration stance as their influence within the party grew towards the latter end of the Tories’ 14-year rule.

In an exclusive interview on The News Agents, Emily Maitlis asks the former Tory Chancellor and education secretary why he never said anything to challenge his former colleagues at the time on the matter.

It comes as his new autobiography, The Boy from Baghdad, part of which details his father’s story of coming to the UK seeking asylum from Iraq.

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How did the last government approach immigration?

Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, now a contender in the Tory leadership race, earned a reputation for being tough on immigrants when he called for Mickey Mouse murals and other cartoons to be painted over at an asylum centre.

That’s because he deemed them to be too welcoming.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman wasn’t exactly known for being kind to immigrants and asylum seekers either.

For instance, she drew criticisms for referring to an immigrant “invasion” and “hurricane” when speaking about people fleeing war and attempting to enter the UK.

You might also remember the plan to fly asylum seekers to Rwanda and Rishi Sunak’s “stop the boats” messaging.

Sunak has previously said in a statement:  “The only way to stop the boats is to eliminate the incentive to come by making it clear that if you are here illegally, you will not be able to stay.”

Where does Zahawi stand?

Emily asks Zahawi what he thinks when he hears about the “demonising tone” his former colleagues used to refer to immigrants and asylum seekers.

“None of that language sits well with me”, he replies.

So why did he not bring this up when he was in government? Emily, asks.

“You knew they were being demonised. You knew that the scapegoating of people with devastating stories like yours, who were trying to escape tyrants, trying to escape torture, was going on.”

“Why didn't you turn around and say, ‘this language is not acceptable for our party’?”, Emily asks.

Zahawi’s father had to flee Iraq as the authorities suspected his father of being a spy, which was a “spurious” allegation. He feared being arrested, and possibly thrown into jail or tortured.

But Zahawi says that instead of arguing, the Conservatives need to come together and have a “grown up debate” about immigration.

He says: “What we need to do is come together, set our differences aside and say, ‘look, the next decade, two decades, is going to be defined across democracies in Europe by this issue.

“If you just take anything south of Libya, there are about half a billion people who are – either, through political stability, environmental impact, or economic impact – going to be mobile, are going to be moving.”

Zahawi adds that immigrant families, including his own, feel “pretty aggrieved that people can jump the queue or that illegal migration is a way of jumping the queue”.

He added that the “well of goodwill has been poisoned” by the tens of thousands of small boats that enter the country each year.

Zahawi says that to address this, he likes the idea of a “parliamentary vote” because “it does sort of elevate it”.

He also advocates for “safe routes” going forward and wants to see “countries come together and form alliances”.

Listen in full on The News Agents.

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