Buoyed by recent polls and convinced of a Tory wipeout in the forthcoming general election, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate Polly Billington and Thanet District Council Labour Leader Rick Everitt have, with the support of Sir Keir Starmer and the Shadow Cabinet, been involved in top secret talks with senior UK and French officials about transforming Ramsgate Port into Europe’s first government approved humanitarian safe route for migrants and refugees.
I have seen secret documents which reveal that the “surprise” £20million levelling up cash bonanza announced by Cllr Everitt, Leader of TDC just last week, and at least another £10 million from existing levelling up cash destined for Thanet, has been earmarked to refurbish the Port of Ramsgate to facilitate the accommodation of large passenger ferries.
The ferries, which will be hired by the incoming Labour Government after their election victory later this year, are proposed to operate a twice daily shuttle service from Calais offering free travel for refugees and migrants to Ramsgate.
Once in Ramsgate, the refugees and migrants will be bussed to the Manston Reception Centre which, using more of the levelling up cash and new monies to be allocated by Rachel Reeves, will be greatly expanded to accommodate what is expected to be “significantly large numbers of people displaced from their homes and countries because of wars, persecution, climate change and famine”.
Following previous condemnation of the Manston Reception Centre as unfit and inhuman, levelling up money and monies saved from the inevitable failure of the current Rwanda scheme, will also be used to upgrade facilities to a standard which matches that offered by any good hotel.
Modern offices and advanced IT systems will also be set up to enable speedy processing of migrants and refugees and their settlement across the UK including Thanet and the rest of Kent.
Election candidate Billington is recorded in the documents saying, “One of the first jobs of the new Labour Government is to smash the cruel people smuggling gangs. These heartless criminals make £millions putting the lives of innocent refugees and migrants at risk by forcing them to cross the channel in dangerous, unseaworthy, and overloaded boats . Our free ferry service will eliminate the need for these criminal gangs altogether and will save hundreds of lives every year.
She goes on to say, “The Government is currently spending more than £500 million a year in supporting the French Police in their battle against the people smugglers. Soon, that large slice of public money will not be needed, freeing it up for more urgent priorities such as the NHS and affordable social housing for those who need it”'.
Billington adds “ Ramsgate would become an efficient and effective alternative to Rwanda! No more high court challenges. No more hugely expensive deportations of innocent people to unsafe third countries where they could face further persecution, or worse. I have been assured by Keir that he and the Shadow Cabinet back this plan 100%.”
The documents also reveal the thoughts of TDC's Labour Leader Rick Everitt about the plans. He reportedly said to French officials that, “Many of those seeking safety in the UK are risking their lives crossing the channel due to policy decisions made by the UK government, such as leaving hundreds of thousands of Afghans and their families, who supported our forces, in the lurch, and at mercy of the barbarous Taliban. A growing number of Palestinians are trying to flee Gaza because their homes and businesses have been destroyed and their families slaughtered by the munitions and equipment we sell to Israel’s armed forces. The least we can do is to offer those we have abused and harmed by the Tory Party’s neo imperialist worldview, the chance to start afresh in the UK and I am pleased that Ramsgate will be leading this humanitarian gesture by hosting the safe route.
He also extolled the not inconsiderable financial benefits of the plan saying that “the safe route will revive the fortunes of Ramsgate port. It will attract other ferry operators who can profit from the revival of duty free day trips, which have been fueled by the Tory-created cost of living crisis. This will lead to more well paid, unionized jobs for local people at Ramsgate port'.
He continues, “the expansion and rebuilding of the Manston Reception Centre will also create hundreds of transport, building, maintenance, office based and hospitality related jobs as well as opportunities for local business to provide goods and services to the centre as well. By acting for reasons of compassion and humanity we can see the benefits to be had by the people of Ramsgate and Thanet through helping those fleeing from war, persecution and famine to start new lives in our communities. That’s what I call socialism!”