The transport secretary was appearing on GB News Breakfast to speak about the government’s plans to improve the UK’s transport infrastructure

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander and GB News host Ellie Costello had a tense clash as the MP tried to defend Labour’s stance on immigration following the release of Home Office data which showed the previous government’s Rwanda deportation scheme was proving successful. “It was working as an effective deterrent, and you scrapped it. Do you regret that?” Ellie Costello challenged her.

“I’m sorry. I just don’t I don’t accept that at all.The truth of the matter is, we spent, we spent £700million. There wasn’t a deportation flight that took off from the UK. If the previous Conservative government had been so confident that the Rwanda scheme was going to work and it would act as an effective deterrent, why did Rishi Sunak call for an early general election last year? We’re taking this issue very seriously. We’re… giving the new counter terrorism powers to the new Border Security Command. That’s legislation that is going through Parliament. We’ve done a deal with France so that French authorities can actually take action and intervene when individuals are in boats in the water. That’s a new agreement. We are determined to interrupt these international networks of criminal gangs that are facilitating and enabling the people who are coming across in boats,” she said.

Ellie Costello and Heidi Alexander clashed over the Rwandan deportation scheme on GB News (Image: GB News)

Costello attempted to interject but Alexander kept talking over her, leading Costello to say she was sorry for interrupting.

Blaming the connection as the reason she kept speaking Alexander said: “The line’s really bad, very difficult to hear the questions. I’m really sorry.”

“You’re not… currently smashing gangs. Are you? When we’re looking at 50,000 people potentially crossing this year. These are record numbers,” Costello put to her.

Alexander responded: “Well, we’ve never said we’ve never said it would be easy. That’s why we have set up the new border security command.

Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello interviewed Heidi Alexander on GB News (Image: GB News)

“It’s why we are giving the new border security command those counter terrorism style powers.

“And let’s not forget that the Conservatives and Reform MPs voted against those new powers in the House of Commons.

“So if you want to talk about a party that is taking this issue seriously, we are. Let’s also not forget that since the general election, we have removed or deported 30,000 people.

“That’s a significant increase on what the previous government did,” Alexander concluded.