RED Wall voters think Rishi Sunak needs to “get a grip” of Britain’s borders and fix the Channel boats crisis, a focus group has found.
And half back the reintroduction of the death penalty for the most serious criminals, like murderers, rapists, and paedophiles.
Red Wall voters want Rishi Sunak to fix the small boats crisis
The findings come as the PM prepares to launch his flagship new law to crack down on illegal immigration in early March.
Trending In The News on Sunday sat in on a focus group in the key Red Wall battleground town of Leigh in Greater Manchester.
The area is historically Labour, but switched to the Tories for the first time in history at the 2019 election.
Locals taking part overwhelmingly backed tougher rules and vetting of people arriving on small boats across the Channel.
One voter said the PM should “get a grip”.
Another questioned why immigrants fleeing war and persecution are not staying in the first safe country they arrive in – adding, is Britain seen as “an easy target”.
A third person said Britain should offer sanctuary to people fleeing war and persecution.
But he warned that taxpayers are paying “bucket loads” to house migrants in hotels but they are all young men rather than families.
“People take the p**s out of our system because they get a free house and all this other stuff”, he said.
“It’s absolutely wrong and no one speaks up about it.”
Luke Tryl, UK Director of More in Common said: “This group of Red Wall voters had a clear message to the Prime Minister – he needs to get a grip on small boats and do it quickly.”
They were also quizzed on their views of bringing back capital punishment after newly appointed Tory Party vice chairman Lee Anderson grabbed headlines by saying he backs the death penalty.
A straw poll of the eight participants – evenly split between Labour and Tory voters – found half of them backed bringing back the death penalty for rapists and murderers.
One said: “We are paying for these people to be in prison. I would flick the switch and be done with them. Why should I pay as a taxpayer for somebody to live in a prison?”
Another said it would be the ultimate “deterrent” – but said it should only be done when the evidence of guilt is overwhelming and “you are 100 per cent sure” you have the right person.
Mr Anderson sent shockwaves through Westminster when he said he backed bringing back capital punishment, declaring: “Nobody has ever committed a crime after being executed.”
Outraged Labour politicians immediately hit the airwaves to condemn his views.
But the 80 minute focus group suggests his comments are backed by many Brits.
In gloomier news for No10, the voters mainly blamed the government for the wave of strikes crippling Britain.
They overwhelmingly backed the nurses, with several suggesting they should be treated as a “special case” and given pay rises in recognition of their work on the Covid “frontline”.
And they also appear to be falling out of love with the Tories.
In the 2019 election, four backed the Tories and four backed Labour.
But asked who they would vote for now, six said Labour and the remaining two were “don’t knows”.
Anger at Liz Truss’s mini Budget and the partygate scandal were both raised as reasons why they were fed up with the Tories.
