laura kuenssberg that his job as chancellor was to ask probing questions of every proposal that crossed his desk. he made the comments in a wideranging interview in which he also talked about the government looking at legal options in the case of the post office horizon it scandal and tackling illegal migration. let s talk about immigration. it s one of your top priorities. we also know from documents the bbc saw this week that when you were chancellor you expressed doubts about number 10 s desire to send migrants to rwanda. do you admit you had reservations? no, and i haven t seen the documents so i can t comment on them specifically. but i discussed it with the prime minister and ultimately funded the plans and the scheme and myjob now as prime minister is to get it up and running. i believe it s really important because it is about deterrence. the national crime agency has said you need a deterrent to solve the problem and i believe that. that s why i got a new deal with
to thousands of people to albania. we have seen the numbers arriving from albania drop by over 90%, showing deterrence works and that s what the rwanda scheme is about, providing that deterrent and that s why it s important to get it through parliament. the documents i have seen, number 10 documents from 2022, describe your view as believing the deterrent would not work. do you deny that? i haven t seen the documents so i can t comment on that. do you deny you had doubts about the deterrent effect of sending people to africa? the proof is in my actions. i obviously believe deterrence works because when i became prime minister, i prioritised getting a scheme up and running with albania, which is now working. we have returned more than 5,000 people to albania as a result of that new deal. we have seen the numbers coming from albania drop by over i9%, showing that deterrence works. that s why i prioritised getting that up and running.
would not work. do you deny that? again, i ve not seen these documents i cannot again, i ve not seen these documents i cannot comment on them. do again, i ve not seen these documents i cannot comment on them. . .- i cannot comment on them. do you den ou i cannot comment on them. do you deny you have i cannot comment on them. do you deny you have doubts? i cannot comment on them. do you deny you have doubts? about - i cannot comment on them. do you | deny you have doubts? about sending people to africa. the deny you have doubts? about sending peeple to africa- people to africa. the proof is in my actions, i obviously people to africa. the proof is in my actions, i obviously believe - actions, i obviously believe deterrence work because when i became deterrence work because when i became prime minister i prioritise getting became prime minister i prioritise getting a became prime minister i prioritise getting a scheme up and running with albania getting a scheme up and ru
albania drop by over 19%. that shows you the deterrent works and that is why i prioritise getting that up and running by the way the national crime agency also believed the deterrence work. it is crime agency also believed the deterrence work. it is important to be c stal deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear with deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear with our deterrence work. it is important to be crystal clear with our audience l be crystal clear with our audience here. we are asking you about this controversial scheme to send migrants arriving on uk shores to rwanda. we are not asking about what happen to their return still with albania. do you deny completely that you ever had any doubts about the efficacy or the value for money of sending migrants to rwanda do you deny completely that you ever had any doubts about the efficacy doubts about the efficacy or the value for money of sending migrant