Priti Patel has defended Prime Minister Boris Johnson against rapper Dave’s charges of racism, calling the allegations ‘utter nonsense’ and ‘highly inappropriate’.
The Home Secretary, today appearing on Sky News and BBC Breakfast to promote the Government’s radical immigration-system overhaul, said that Mr Johnson was ‘absolutely not a racist’ and disagreed with Dave’s ‘generalisation’.
Her comments follow the 21-year-old musician’s incendiary allegations last night during a performance of his song Black at the Brit Awards.
In a surprise moment for viewers and those in attendance at the O2 in London, Dave debuted a brand new verse criticising Mr Johnson.
Dave, who also scooped up the Brit Award for Album of the Year, rapped: ‘It is racist, whether or not it feels racist, the truth is our prime minister’s a real racist.
‘They say, “you should be grateful, we’re the least racist”.
‘I say the least racist is still racist.’
Speaking with Sky presenter Kay Burley this morning, Ms Patel called Dave’s claims ‘utter nonsense’, adding: ‘I don’t know what those comments are based on.
‘It’s wrong to make judgments about individuals when you don’t know a particular individual, as in the case of the Prime Minister.
‘He’s not a racist at all, and I just think those comments are highly inappropriate.’
Appearing later on BBC Breakfast, the Home Secretary said: ‘I simply do not subscribe to those comments at all.
‘I know the Prime Minister. I’ve worked with the Prime Minister for a long time, for many years. He’s absolutely not a racist, and I’m afraid that is very much a generalisation that has been made by rapper Dave, and I just disagree with it.’
Priti Patel (pictured), appearing on Sky News and BBC Breakfast this morning to promote the Government’s anticipated overhaul of Britain’s immigration system, said that Boris Johnson was ‘absolutely not a racist’ and disagreed with rapper Dave’s ‘generalisation’
Speaking with Sky presenter Kay Burley (left) this morning, Ms Patel called Dave’s claims ‘utter nonsense’, adding: ‘I don’t know what those comments are based on’
Mr Johnson (pictured) come under pressure to ‘rein in’ top spin doctor Dominic Cummings after ex-adviser Andrew Sabisky resigned on Monday
Mr Johnson has historically come under fire for alleged racist comments he purportedly made before storming No 10 last year.
In one article, he described African women as having ‘watermelon smiles’, while in a piece for The Daily Telegraph last year he controversially compared Muslim women wearing the Islamic burka to bank robbers and post boxes.
Last month, the ‘out of touch’ Prime Minister was criticised by Grenfell survivors who said that he had downgraded the Government’s interest in the disaster.
He has also come under pressure to ‘rein in’ top spin doctor Dominic Cummings after ex-adviser Andrew Sabisky resigned on Monday.
Mr Sabisky, recruited through Mr Cummings’ ‘misfits and weirdos’ scheme, faced a huge public backlash after making a number of unsavoury remarks.
Mr Sabisky faced a huge public backlash after making a number of unsavoury remarks after applying for a Government position under Mr Cummings (pictured)
Ms Patel’s appearances on breakfast television this morning comes as the Government unveils sweeping reforms to Britain’s immigration system in the country’s biggest shake-up to border rules since 1973.
They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above £25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level
Low-skilled immigration will be made virtually impossible under a points-based system as free movement rights are consigned to history.
Instead, EU migrants’ chances of getting a work visa will be the same as for applicants from elsewhere.
They will need at least 70 points to work in Britain, with points awarded for speaking English, if the job earns a salary above £25,600 and if it is at a certain skill level. Highly skilled workers will be able to come without a job offer as the Government re-aligns the immigration system to the ‘brightest and the best’.
But there will be no general visas for low-skilled migrants.
Last night, Ms Patel said: ‘Today we set out our historic blueprint for taking back control of our borders.
‘It is the biggest shake-up of our immigration system in a generation and is what the public rightly demand.’
Home Office officials warned that businesses would have to wean themselves off cheap labour from the Continent. Instead, employers will be encouraged to recruit from Britain’s pool of 1.3million unemployed, or pay higher wages to retain existing staff.
There was an immediate backlash yesterday, with some industry leaders warning that the plans spelled ‘absolute disaster’ for the care system, and for farmers, builders and the hospitality sector.
Any EU citizens living in Britain by New Year’s Eve will be entitled to live and work here under current rules. The reforms, which will come into force in January, will:
- Limit EU nationals without a visa to a maximum of six months in Britain;
- Bar all new migrants from claiming income-related benefits;
- Allow EU travellers to carry on using the current ‘UK and EU’ e-gates at ports and airports, although this will be ‘kept under review’;
- Force all migrants, including those from the EU, who come here to work to pay towards the NHS, currently set at £400 a year;
- Exclude more Europeans who have criminal records;
- Phase out ‘insecure’ EU identity cards being used as travel documents.