Tory MP likens government to Titanic band in heated WhatsApp exchange about small boat crossings

A leading red wall Tory MP has compared the government to the “band on the Titanic”, according to leaked WhatsApp messages seen by Sky News.

Lee Anderson, the Ashfield MP, made the comment in a heated debate between colleagues about whether the party was doing enough to tackle the issue of small boats crossing the Channel.

Mr Anderson also suggested that any officials blocking the plan could be viewed as having committed “treason”.

The exchange shows the depth of dislike of officials amongst some Tory MPs, and a mistrust that Rishi Sunak’s administration is going far enough on key issues.

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The online discussion took place on Sunday morning, and saw Mr Anderson tell the Common Sense Group of MPs on WhatsApp, which has over 60 members, that the prime minister’s flagship legislation “will not stop the crossings”.

He added that: “I learnt that in Calais last week. We are blundering into a crisis that is growing out of control.”

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He went on to say that the only way of dealing with the issue was the plan initially put forward by Boris Johnson to send asylum seekers to Rwanda.

“We could start these flights today if we had the balls,” he added.

When one colleague said that “legislation is coming” – referring to further legislation to detail and remove people from entering the UK illegally – the Tory MP for Dudley North Marco Longhi said: “I don’t want to shoot the messenger.

“But we’ve had legislation before. ECHR (the European Convention on Human Rights, which could hold up flights) trumps everything and our own colleagues want to keep it even if it poses a security risk to UK people as we’ve just seen.

“We will be slaughtered at the locals and at the GE (general election).”

Mr Anderson replied: “It’s like the band on the Titanic. Playing the same tune and ignoring the obvious.”

The discussion then turned to the civil service.

It comes after a Sunday Express front page, sent around the group, which claimed that Mr Sunak was “at war over a plot to tear up rules and ban illegal migrants from claiming UK asylum”, adding: “Rishi Sunak is on a collision course with civil servants over plans to ban illegal migrants from claiming asylum.”

Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said to the group: “All of the unelected civil servants who are attempting to block the democratically elected government should either be fired or named.

“If they want to engage in politics and be a political actor they should either leave their profession and stand for office or get the scrutiny that comes with it.”

The post received an “applause emoji” denoting the support from an unknown colleague.

Mr Anderson replied: “Going against the state is Treason. Surely.”

Mr Longhi said: “Ha. But they see themselves as the state.”

In a sign of the dislike of civil servants amongst some Tory MPs, earlier in the discussion Mid Derbyshire MP Pauline Latham said: “I thought civil servants advise and ministers decide?

“Obviously no longer!”

Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton said: “I thought there was a process to sack them. Obviously no longer! They counter-argue with bullying claims.”

John Hayes, the veteran MP close to home secretary Suella Braverman, wrote: “They simply must be told! Please feed into your whips that this is the government’s most urgent priority.

“We must back Suella in this battle with out of touch, privileged, unelected pen pushers.”

Sky Asked Lee Anderson to comment on the exchanges. He said that his point was that the government needs to ditch ECHR or ignore it.

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