Conservative Sir Bill Wiggin (MP for North Herefordshire) has sparked an angry response after claiming that the UK shouldn’t want refugees that arrive by rubber boats.

When talking to the Prime Minister, Mr Wiggin said:

“We want Ukrainians, we want Qataris, we don’t want people on rubber boats.”

“These are very wealthy people who are unlikely to stay and despite saying we’d do it (offer visas to Ukrainians and Qataris) three times we haven’t delivered.”

Members of the public have quickly taken to social media to criticise the MP for Herefordshire North over his comments, with many reminding him that those people who arrive by rubber boats have often escaped war in countries such as Afghanistan.

One Twitter user said:

“They are turning up in rubber boats, because of conditions in their countries that we caused and/or contributed too.”