Opposition parties have taken aim at policing minister Chris Philp after he appeared to mix up two African countries during an appearance on BBC Question Time.
During the show, an audience member from the Democratic Republic of the Congo raised concerns about the government’s new law regarding deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda.
In response, Mr. Philp seemed to suggest a confusion between Rwanda and Congo, prompting some laughter from the audience and criticism from Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
The government’s controversial Rwanda bill, which recently became law, allows for the deportation of asylum seekers who entered the UK “illegally” from a safe country after January 1, 2022.
Despite the audience member’s clarification about the conflict and history of violence between Congo and Rwanda, Mr. Philp continued to express his views, causing further scrutiny from his political counterparts.
Labour’s shadow immigration minister Stephen Kinnock and the Liberal Democrats’ Sarah Olney both criticized the government’s actions and Mr. Philp’s response during the debate.
An ally of Mr. Philp later suggested that the minister’s remarks were intended as a rhetorical question, rather than a genuine inquiry, in an attempt to clarify the discussion.
