SIR Jacob Rees-Mogg has accused the government of being out of step with the British public over immigration after crowds protested against migrants being escorted to the UK.
Speaking on GB News, he said: "The nation and the politicians are out of touch, the political nation and the nation at large.
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"The migration problem, the illegal migration problem, swirls around us, and we are made to look foolish. The example that we had of Portsmouth was really very shocking.
"That the French escorted the boat to British waters, thinking it was safe and didn't need rescuing. As soon as it got into our territorial waters, it was as if it were about to sink. It was deemed to be at risk, and therefore the people on board were rescued.
"Why was it unsafe in our waters when it had been safe a few yards beforehand? This doesn't make any sense. Our policy is foolish, and people have noticed.
"A poll by YouGov for The Times points this out to an extraordinary degree. 57% of people think that illegal asylum seekers should be detained rather than let go freely from the hostels, hotels, and camps that they are put in.
"67% think they should only be in the country temporarily until their own country gets safe, and then they should be sent home. And amazingly, 45% would like to see a Rwanda-style scheme.
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"And that's right. The British people have got their finger on the button because the only way to stop illegal migration, these boatloads of asylum seekers trying to get here, paying people smugglers, risking their lives, is to have a deterrent.
"Why do I say that? Well, GB News exclusively revealed that people are now going back to lorries. What's happening is as we've seen before: if you squeeze the balloon in one direction and it pops up in another.
"Why? Because once they get here, they have a 95% chance of staying. This is regardless of appeals, regardless of whether they fail, regardless of whether they should go home.
"Our system is inefficient. The deterrent is not there. The state is incompetent, and indeed, possibly not as hostile to illegal immigration as it should be.
"It is a broken system that can only be mended by real deterrents. The British people understand that. Unfortunately, this government does not.
"It will not take the steps necessary, including but not limited to coming out of the European Convention on Human Rights. It can be done. It should be done. Alas, it won't be done."
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