The surprise attack came after the corporation exposed manipulation of the asylum system.
The corporation has drawn the ire of the Green Party (Image: Getty)
The Green Party has launched a surprise attack on the BBC after the corporation exposed migrants manipulating the asylum system. A BBC investigation found that increasing numbers of people were making false claims about being victims of domestic abuse or about their sexuality.
It exposed law firms and advisers charging thousands of pounds to help asylum seekers pretend to be gay so they could make a successful claim to stay in the UK. The Home Office has since announced that it is investigating the claims, but the Green Party have accused the publicly-funded broadcaster of trying to “heighten the hostile environment facing those claiming asylum’ through its reporting. A Greens spokesman said: “We are disappointed the BBC failed to put this report in context, showing the challenges those genuinely claiming asylum face.
The investigation found people pretending to be gay or victims of domestic abuse (Image: Getty)
“When they give so much prominence to the report, stretching it out over multiple days of reporting, it ceases to be in the public interest and instead serves to heighten the hostile environment facing those claiming asylum.”
The spokesman added that the report “gives an entirely false impression of a system which is, in reality, stacked against people seeking asylum”.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp blasted the party, accusing them of not understanding the immigration crisis.
He told the Daily Mail: “Repeatedly they ignore the concerns of the public and want a world without borders. It is an extreme, dangerous fantasy. Vote Green, get chaos.”
‘Vote Green, get chaos’ Philp said (Image: Getty)
On Wednesday, Downing Street warned that migrants found to be lying about their sexuality to claim asylum will be deported.
Asked about the reports, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Both the Home Office and Immigration Advice Authority are investigating the claims made by the BBC, both yesterday and today, to ensure anyone potentially abusing our immigration system is held accountable.
“Any attempt to misuse protections designed to protect genuine victims from the devastation of domestic abuse is shameful and completely unacceptable.
“The Home Secretary has been clear that those trying to defraud the British people to remain in the UK will have their application refused and find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said sham lawyers would “face the full force of the law”, adding: “Anyone abusing protections for people fleeing persecution over gender or sexual orientation is beyond contempt.”