Fiery clash on BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg show as panellist wants ‘President Nigel Farage’

The heated exchange between Reform UK’s Richard Tice and Unison’s Christina McAnea included the bizarre suggestion that a President Nigel Farage – who is currently on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me out of Here – would be a good idea

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Laura Kuenssberg says it’s good to have a ‘lively debate’ on TV programme

Two panellists clashed in a fiery debate about migration and British culture on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show this morning.

The heated exchange included the bizarre suggestion that a President Nigel Farage would be a good idea for Britain. Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea and Richard Tice, the leader of Mr Farage’s right-wing Reform UK party argued over whether there was a singular “British culture”.

The union leader accused Mr Tice of turning the debate into a culture war in an “appalling” manner and hit back after Mr Tice said immigration was making the country “poorer financially” and “poorer culturally”.

Ms McAnea responded: “When I hear people say things like it will affect our country culturally, and I’ve heard you say this before and I’ve heard other people like Farage say it as well, I don’t even know what that means. Because we are a country where people come from all over the world and I’m the grandchild of migrants from Ireland and my culture is probably very different from yours.”

Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea and Reform UK leader Richard Tice argued over whether there was a singular ‘British culture’ (

Image:

BBC)

She added: “It is an appalling way to turn things into a culture war in this country.” Mr Tice claimed Tony Blair and David Cameron all believe “multiculturalism has failed”, adding: “We should live and operate under one single British.” But Ms McAnea hit back: “I don’t care if they said it. There is no one single British culture.”

Mr Tice said he “completely” disagreed with her and that there is “the British way of life”. Pressed on what he thinks this is, he said: “I think that sense of Britishness, who we are, our heritage, our history, our Christian values and ethos. That is the base of our single British culture and that’s what we want people to unify under. We welcome smart sensible levels of immigration, but mass immigration, people living in silos, different cultures, is not good for our country.”

Ms McAnea shook her head at his explanation, saying: “We can’t go back to the 1940s or 1950s”, to which Mr Tice responded: “Absolute nonsense.” Ms Kuenssberg was forced to intervene, saying: “We must move on but we will come back to you both at the end of the programme. I’m sure there’s not going to be unity between you two on the panel, but it is great to hear a lively debate on the programme.”

It comes as figures revealed this week that UK net migration hit a record breaking 745,000 last year – more than three times higher than promised by the Tories in their election manifesto. Mr Tice said Mr Farage, who is currently starring in I’m a Celebrity… Get me out of here, will be “absolutely furious” when he says the migration figures when he returns from the jungle.

Mr Farage has been dropping hints he might attempt a return to frontline politics. Asked if he thinks the former Ukip leader will be looking to take his job as leader of Reform UK, Mr Tice said: “I’ve always said I want as much help as possible but I’m a bit more ambitious. I quite like the idea of President Farage – maybe you can have President Farage and President Trump.”

Cabinet minister Laura Trott was this morning asked about the threat of Reform UK after Lee Anderson was secretly recorded boasting he was offered “a lot of money” to quit the Tories and join the party. She insisted she was not worried about Reform UK outflanking the Conservatives from the right.

“I’d be very clear that a vote for Reform or any other party which is not Conservative is a vote for Keir Starmer as prime minister,” she told Sky’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips. “But what I would say is one of the reasons it’s so important for me to come on shows like yours is for us to communicate as a government what we are doing to stop the boats.”