Boris Johnson caught out over Priti Patel claims of a ‘violent crime wave’ if Labour win
Boris Johnson couldn't back up Priti Patel's alarming 'crime wave' claims in the event of a Labour government. Picture: LBC / Aaron Chown/PA - Credit: LBC / Aaron Chown/PA
Boris Johnson was unable to explain the basis for alarming claims by Priti Patel that a Labour government would lead to 52 more murders a year, prompting his interviewer to say: 'She made them up, hasn't she?'
Speaking on Nick Ferrari's LBC show, Johnson was reminded of his home secretary's claim in the Daily Telegraph that a Labour government would lead to 52 more murders a year, 150 more sexual assaults and 8,596 more weapons on the streets.
Host Ferrari asked Johnson how these figures - which a Telegraph editorial says was based on a Conservative party analysis - were arrived at.
As Johnson tried to give a canned non-answer on putting more police out on the streets, Ferrari pressed him on Patel's specific figures. "You're a journalist. I'm a journalist. Where'd she get those numbers from?" he asked.
"I'm sorry Nick, you must forgive me, I haven't been able to .." said Johnson.
You may also want to watch:
"She's made them up, prime minister, hasn't she?"
MORE: Former Tory Jeffrey Archer slams Telegraph's election coverage as 'prejudiced' and 'unbelievable'Johnson responded by saying: "What Priti is getting at is the reality that unless you have a tough approach on law and order, unless you back the police, unless you're able to put more police out there in a consistent way, and give them the powers they need - and you were talking earlier on in your show about stop and search - you will find knife crime continues to be a problem. You'll find that serious youth violence continues to be a problem, and that gun crime is a problem."
"But these figures are Project Fear," said Ferrari, quoting Patel's claimed figures again. "There's nothing to back up these figures and you've let them out on your watch [with] your home secretary. Unless she's Mystic Priti, there's no truth at all."
Most Read
- 1 Piers Morgan must expose the government's Brexit betrayal
- 2 Boris Johnson warned majority will be 'wiped out' over treatment towards north of England
- 3 Boris Johnson 'frantically repositioning' himself for Donald Trump to lose election
- 4 UKIP set to select 'Dr Gammons' as candidate for London mayoral election
- 5 James Cleverly mocked after telling people to 'look at how they're doing in Wales'
- 6 Brexiteer Prue Leith quits Tory Party after government votes down motion to protect UK food standards
- 7 Peers set to remove law-breaking sections of Boris Johnson's Brexit bill
- 8 Public slams Brexit Party tweet which shames Tory MPs who voted against free school meals
- 9 Minister says Dido Harding is working '19-hours a day' on Test and Trace
- 10 Second shop owner bans Tory MPs who voted against free school meals motion
"She's making a point about crime figures and the need to have robust policing, and I back that idea all the way."
"But with nothing to back up those figures, it would appear," said Ferrari.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
