Gnaana. Gnaana. Thank you and good afternoon. The top stories this hour , the top stories this hour, Shadow Health secretary wes streeting says doctor dan poulter has not been offered a peerage to defect from the tory party to the labour party. Mr streeting has defended doctor paups streeting has defended doctor pauls decision, saying it shows only sir keir starmer can be trusted with the nhs. Conservative mp doctor dan poulter said hed sit on the labour benches until the general election and then stand down. The decision comes just days before local elections across england and wales on the 2nd of may. The Prime Minister has again this morning refused to rule out a general election in july, amid speculation a disastrous set of local Election Results for the tories could force his hand. Wes streeting says doctor poulter isnt defecting to save his seat. Rather hes defecting to save the nhs. The nhs. There have been millions of people disaffected conservative voters like dan poulter out there, who can see the chaos, and the conservative party see the failure to deliver and are looking at the alternative. And id ask those people to trust the doctor whos seen the conservative party up close has seen the changed labour party of keir starmer up close and has decided that ultimately we need a Labour Government in this country to get our nhs back on its feet, to turn the economy around and to make sure that we can look to the future with hope and optimism again. Meanwhile, policing minister chris philp defended the governments handling of the nhs , pointing to record levels of spending. Spending. Just in the last year alone, the nhs has grown by 68,000 staff and there are today 70,000 more doctors and 21,000 more nurses than there were a year ago. And tens of thousands of people each year are fleeing the welsh run nhs. Sorry, the labour welsh run nhs. Sorry, the labour run nhs in wales to have treatment in england. The waiting lists the proportion of the public who are on either very long waiting lists or indeed the proportion of the pubucin indeed the proportion of the public in wales on a waiting list at all, is higher , list at all, is higher, materially higher than it is in england. So on any measure, the labour party are doing a terrible job. In other news, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick has called for a cap on net migration , claiming a far net migration, claiming a far more restrictive system is needed. More restrictive system is needed. Jenrick wants a cap of needed. Jenrick wants a cap of less than 100,000 a year, arguing thats the only way to restore voters trust. Writing in the sunday telegraph, he says the sunday telegraph, he says the governments recently passed rwanda bill will soon join the graveyard of policies that failed to tackle illegal migration. But called legal migration. But called legal migration a bigger scandal. The last 30 years, politicians of all stripes have promised controlled and reduced immigration only to deliver the opposite. And the public are opposite. And the public are rightly furious at whats happened. Its placed immense strain on housing, on Public Services, on Community Cohesion, and it hasnt improved the economy. What were proposing is economy. What were proposing is that we return to the tens of thousands, but unlike previously, we have a cap. So parliament itself votes for a democratic lock so the public can have a degree of confidence, which they dont have today, that when politicians say these things, they mean it. Well, that is more than 900 channel migrants have crossed illegally into the uk in less than a week. Thats according to the latest Home Office Figures. The latest Home Office Figures. Official figures show 359 migrants crossed in eight small boats just yesterday. Gb news captured this exclusive exclusive footage yesterday. 51 exclusive footage yesterday. 51 migrants had to be rescued after their small boat ran aground on a sandbank off the kent coast. Northern irelands first minister has called for a thought out response to people who seek asylum in ireland after travelling from the uk. The Irish Government claims theres been a shift in migration patterns in recent months, with the number of migrants crossing from Northern Ireland into ireland higher than 80. The comments come as rishi sunak said that shows the deterrent effect of his rwanda plan is working, because people are worried about coming here. The alba party msp , whose vote could alba party msp, whose vote could be crucial to scotlands first minister, says its time to build relationships. But she also says the price of her support will be higher as humza yousaf dithers. She says ash yousaf dithers. She says ash regan hasnt confirmed how shell vote in the motions of no confidence at holyrood next week, writing in the sunday mail, she said she will only use her vote in the way thatll be best for scotland. Meanwhile, yousaf is asking leaders of rival parties to find Common Ground with the snp as his leadership hangs in the balance. It comes after the collapse of the snps power sharing deal with the greens. And finally, with the greens. And finally, royal news the duke of sussex is returning to the uk in just over a week to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the invictus games. It will be the invictus games. It will be the first time prince harry is back in the uk since his visit to see the king after his cancer diagnosis in february, and is the first major event hell attend in the uk for some time. Hell be at the service of thanksgiving at londons saint paups thanksgiving at londons saint pauls cathedral on the 8th of may, where hell provide a reading at the event marking a decade since the inaugural event in 2014. For the latest stories, you can sign up to gb news alerts by scanning the qr code on your screen or you can go to gb news. Comment hurts now its back to. Nana. Back to. Nana. Good afternoon. Its fast approaching seven minutes after 3 00. This is gb news live on tv, online and on digital radio. Im nana akua now. Universities are no longer the home of freedom of speech. When i was at uni, all those many , many years uni, all those many, many years ago, it was a place where people went to experiment with everything and all views were on the table. Life was about the table. Life was about learning new things, but these daysit learning new things, but these days it seems that universities have become a breeding ground for indoctrination , and many for indoctrination, and many students appear to lack the ability to think critically or comprehend another point of view. The other day , jacob view. The other day, Jacob Rees Mogg was met with these scenes so so for those listening on radio, thatis so for those listening on radio, that is Jacob Rees Mogg. Hes that is Jacob Rees Mogg. Hes walking towards the car and hes surrounded by students. Hes surrounded by students. Hes there haranguing him and theyre all holding pro palestine and palestinian flags. Its absurd that the cars sort of pulling away with these people still sort of almost clinging to the sides of it. Its ridiculous. All because he was a speaker at their university, and only this weekend. Across parts of the weekend. Across parts of the world, universities have been gnpped world, universities have been gripped by a pro palestine ideology. Theyve literally been captured. What on earth is going captured. What on earth is going on . But then are we surprised . What can you expect when you got people like this teaching our kids at harvard . Kids at harvard . Does calling for the genocide of jews violate harvards rules of jews violate harvards rules of bullying and harassment . Yes or no . Yes or no . It can be, depending on the context. Whats the context targeted as an individual . Targeted at an individual. Its targeted at jewish students , jewish individuals. Students, jewish individuals. I mean, seriously, its been a slow motion creep that has come to light over the last, id say, about five years, with professors like kathleen stock being hounded out of her university because she believes that sex trumps gender. Of course it does. And teachers like the one at batley and spen still in hiding over a depiction of mohammed. Now i blame the woke cotton covered liberals who believe that everyone has a right to come first. They dont. The wokerati who tell parents that you can never smack your children. Im not talking about beating or hitting, but a good parent are made to feel bad for instilling loving discipline. What on earth has happened to our universities . What have they done to our kids . Are they captured for. Good . So done to our kids . Are they captured for. Good . So before we captured for. Good . So before we get stuck into the debates over the next hour, let me introduce you to my clashes. Joining me today is the former editor of the labourlist, peter edwards, and also former government adviser Claire Pearsall. So heres whats coming up in todays clash. Can there be a case for mass migration being an asset to the economy . Well discuss that in an hours time then. Is it time for the tories to change their leader as mp, doctor dan poulter, leaves the conservative party and picks up the labour whip . Has Prime Minister rishi sunak lost control of his party . Can anyone save them from election embarrassment . Save them from election embarrassment . I save them from election embarrassment . I dont save them from election embarrassment . I dont think so. Even with the tories in a mess, can you then trust labour leader sir keir starmer after the leader of the opposition u turns on other pledges, such as the partys green policies . Will he partys green policies . Will he keep his latest one to keep the triple lock . And how long can triple lock . And how long can the Scottish First minister cling on to power . With snp leader Humza Yousafs government falling off the rails after losing their power sharing agreement with the greens . Can he turn things around or is he destined a fall from grace . Tell destined a fall from grace . Tell me what you think on everything were discussing. Get in touch gbnews. Com forward slash your say or tweet me gbnews. Right. Say or tweet me gbnews. Right. So its time for the clash. And the question im asking is freedom of speech allowed in uks universities . Lets get started. Lets welcome again to my panel editor of the labourlist, peter edwards, and also former government adviser Claire Pearsall wright. Claire pearsall. Im not going to start with you. What on earth is happening to these universities . Do you mean did you go to university . I didnt you didnt . No, no , i missed out on that. No, no, i missed out on that. I dont think they would have liked me particularly. I went out straight out to work at 18, but i understand from friends of mine that you you get into a kind of like an idealistic mode. Kind of like an idealistic mode. When you go into university, youre there, youre going to change the world. Youre going to free everybody, youre going to free everybody, youre going to do whatever it is at that moment. And i think that the peer pressure surrounding people at universities is enormous. I think thats now been taken up several notches with these really divisive and very serious debates that we need to have in this country. People are taking a very basic viewpoint. Theyre taking a stand on one side or the other without actually understanding the context of what it is theyre discussing now. Universities really should be there to expand and open individuals minds. Be there to expand and open individuals minds. You should be individuals minds. You should be there to learn more and to enjoy learning. But unfortunately, it learning. But unfortunately, it just seems that quite a lot of views are going unchallenged. People are allowed to believe theyre completely right. But i think that this is a fault of the Education System in its entirety, that you dont allow people to be wrong, you dont ever tell them no, and you dont allow them to be disappointed. And i think this is what were seeing is the ultimate , seeing is the ultimate, crescendo is that people go to university believing that they know absolutely everything, when really they know nothing at all, and theyre not prepared to learn. Fixed mindset. Peter edwards, what do you think . What do you think . I dont know if its a fixed mindset. I mean, your monologue you lump together lots of Different Things. And obviously when people well, thats how i do them. Yeah. Well let me answer the question. First of all, when you quoted the school, i cant remember. I think it might have been in yorkshire where the allegations of, defacing an image of the prophet muhammad, thats very different to free speech at university. So Jacob Rees Mogg, i think it was this week you played the footage, clearly its right to have a ferocious argument, but it mustnt cross over into intimidation. And i was interested even Jacob Rees Mogg, who was there, said this was a free and fair debate. It was very robust. And he basically said i defend their right to protest. And its other right to protest. And its other people, including the conservative party, who said it went too far. Wed all agree there shouldnt be intimidation, definitely shouldnt be throwing four letter words at Jacob Rees Mogg as a nothing happened. But on that particular debate in cardiff, Jacob Rees Mogg said it was kind of legitimate. Well, he might well say that. But a baying mob following him if he didnt have security and protection, im wondering how that would have turned out. So i dont really think. I mean, thats quite intimidatory. Theres no way, even if Jacob Rees Mogg is extremely polite and i think he was actually being very, very fair from what you can see, there are a mob of people swearing at him and saying offensive things. Thats not really acceptable. If you not really acceptable. If you want to have a debate and a discussion, thats great. But throwing out all the swearing words and intimidating people, i dont think thats right. Well, intimidation is wrong and some of that i must stress, ive not seen it all looked intimidatory because, as you say, weve, generally, unless youre in really high office, have a good, healthy british tradition of where higher ranking politicians can really go around and theyll have a research or a spin doctor. They wont and generally dont need security. But weve had some horrific events in recent years that have made us revisit that, Jacob Rees Mogg, rees mogg is a backbencher and if, say, theres him, a researcher and 20 folk all shouting at him , i probably all shouting at him, i probably would find that a bit intimidatory. So good on him for being so even handed, because even though i dont agree with him on much, he does value a free and fair debate. Yeah, i think i just wonder whats happened these days though, because it seems that, there doesnt seem to inability to critical think and ive lectured around schools a lot, so i did before i you know about the last year. I was doing it for about eight years, going to different schools and talking about Critical Thinking and all over the country. And it was interesting that a lot of the kids only thought what their parents thought, and they werent really open to suggestions of different ideas. And it does feel that its something that has actually started at a lot earlier age. What do you think the catalyst for that would have been . Were all a product of our parents to all a product of our parents to a certain degree, but whether its going to university or becoming a teenager, then, you know intellectually you and youre going to work and having to pay tax is a massive adjustment as well , reality, you adjustment as well, reality, you develop your your own ideas, relationships and other. But id slightly question the idea that free speech has been shut down at universities because i think theyve obviously been a small number of cases where University Authorities said, you mustnt do x, y and z, but i think theyre the ones that get picked up by the ones that get picked up by the media. And i think in most universities there is still a free and fair debate the vast majority of the time. Do you think thats thats clear . I mean, remember there was that one in Oxford University or was it cambridge where they wanted to take down pictures of royal images because it would reinforce colonialism and upset other people around them . I mean, its thats why them . I mean, its thats why the lord balfour portrait that was ruined in the common room, in the common room, but also i think you get the de platforming of individuals which which has to be wrong. You cannot censor views just because you think you disagree with them. And this is what were for. With them. And this is what were for. Here were here for debates. You want to be able to listen to somebody elses point of view. And i dont think that students are encouraged to do that. Theyre very steadfast in their agreement. And weve all been teenagers. We all think we been teenagers. We all think we know better. We all go against what the popular or what your parents point of view is, and you come up with your own, even if its completely off the wall. But youre not encouraged to challenge that these days. And challenge that these days. And thats what i find really disappointing. And i think that Jacob Rees Mogg, in all fairness, was exceptionally good at saying i defend these individuals right to have their views and to shout them loudly. But when it comes into intimidation, if you cannot stand there and get your point across without swearing and issuing threats, then youve really lost that argument and that side now does look very much as though theyve lost the plot, that they are turning into a group of individuals with no point. And thats a shame, because i think we need all sides of the argument. But when they behave like that, its really easy now to just dismiss them. Yeah it does. It does seem that th