Fury as bungling Cabinet Minister claims most small boat migrants are women and children – despite majority being men
Darren Jones was today accused of being 'completely out of touch with reality' given the overwhelming majority of Channel crossers are adult men.
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Labour's Chief Secretary to the Treasury made the bizarre assertion on Question Time, leaving the audience groaning in disbelief.
The debate on illegal migration saw him claim 'the majority of the people in these boats are children, babies and women'.
Home Office figures show that 73 per cent of all Channel arrivals since 2018 have been adult males.
Incredibly, Downing Street yesterday repeatedly refused to correct Mr Jones' comments.
Asked if the government was 'gaslighting Britain', Sir Keir Starmer's spokesman said: 'Our focus is on tackling the gangs.'
Tory Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted: 'Darren Jones is completely out of touch with reality.
'Since 2018, 73 per cent of small boat arrivals have been single adult men. Yet Labour MPs like Jones still push the fairytale that these boats are full of women and babies.
'It's a dangerous distortion of the truth. No wonder this is shaping up to be the worst year on record for small boat crossings.
'If this is what passes for reality inside the Labour Government, Britain is in serious trouble.'
Nigel Farage branded Mr Jones "another clueless Labour minister"
More than 15,000 small boat migrants have crossed the Channel already this year - a record number.
And more than 150,000 have come since 2018 when the crisis erupted.
It comes after Rachel Reeves yesterday admitted she has no clue where Channel migrants will go instead of hotels.
The Chancellor has vowed to scrap their 'costly' use within four years as part of her spending review — but could not say what would replace them.
Pressed on where arrivals would be housed, she passed the buck to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
Ms Reeves told Times Radio: 'Well, I'm not going to be providing accommodation.
"That's for the Home Office to do. 'But the wasteful spending on the most expensive form of accommodation is a terrible use of taxpayers' money.'
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