Conservative Promise to Reduce Immigration Met With Mocking Laughter in Election Television Debate

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Oliver JJ Lane

Live television debates for July’s UK General Election are ongoing and Nigel Farage will leave satisfied he got the biggest laugh of the night on the Conservative Party’s record on border control.

Representatives of the seven major British political parties met again at the studios of ITV on Thursday night to debate and respond to audience questions, a new but apparently noiw indispensable part of the British electoral process.

This time, the format allowed panellists from the parties to ask questions of each other directly, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage — obviously buoyed by the news breaking just minutes before the broadcast began of a new poll confirming he’s now outperforming the governing Conservatives  — used his to challenge the Tories.

Addressing Conservative representative Penny Mordaunt, Farage asked: “Given that your 2010 manifesto, your 2015 manifesto, your 2017 manifesto said you’d reduce net migration to ‘the tens of thousands’, your 2019 manifesto said immigration would massively reduce. And that net 4.3 million people have come into the country since that time, why on earth should anybody believe the fifth manifesto that promises cuts to net migration?”.

Mordaunt attempted to reply, but was quickly cut off by the studio audience. She said the public could trust the claims “because of the record of this prime minister”, but was drowned out with mocking laughter.

Farage, apparently satisfied his question had elicited the desired result, said: “enough, that’s fine, I’m happy”. Later, having heard Mordaunt elaborate further on the Tory migration plans, he retorted: “Penny, I don’t believe a single word that you say. You’ve deceived us with the last four manifestos, I don’t believe you on the fifth. And as for being a Labour enabler, we are now ahead of you in the national polls. A vote for you, is actually a vote for Labour.”

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