Sky News Host Roasts Reform UK’s Richard Tice Over 1066 Migration Graph
Sky News presenter Sophy Ridge roasted Reform UK leader Richard Tice over a migration graph used during a party speech that depicted net migration to the UK from 1066 AD, the year of the Norman invasion and conquest of England, through to the present day.
The host raised the question during a Politics Hub interview on Thursday night, displaying the graph image behind her and prompting Tice to defend it. The graph showed a flat line from the year 1066 before a vertical spike in migration in 2017, when the Tory government secured a majority in parliament.
Ridge questioned the use of the year 1066 in disbelief and the flat migration figure shown for then, citing it was difficult to know exact numbers for that historical period anyway.
Tice responded: “We know that because the population hardly increased at all. Let’s be very clear, the reality is that the last two years…”
The presenter interrupted: “I’m not talking about the last two years, this is my interview. This is net migration levels 1066. I would argue net migration in 1066 was pretty high. That was the year of the Norman Conquest, wasn’t it?”
Tice, meaning to say that the UK was experiencing the largest migration spike since the Norman invasion, replied: “Which is why we said since 1066.”
But Ridge pressed: “No you didn’t say 1066. I mean fair enough they were probably more worried about the big boats than the small boats, but still.”
Tice deflected back to the past two years and migration under the Tory government. He said: “That’s what’s making people poorer, that’s what’s making it harder to receive health care and that is also why we’ve got all sorts of other problems, and why for young people in particular can’t get access to housing and rents are 20 percent higher.”
Ridge said: “It’s important the way that politician campaign, truth telling, graphs. I would have a go at the Lib Dems for their graphs. We love a chart, never seen one that goes back to 1066, this is ridiculous. Why did you pick 1066?”
“It’s not ridiculous because you’ve just confirmed it, since the Norman invasion for heaven’s sake,” the Reform leader replied.
He added: “And since then, in the last two years, we’ve seen more people settle in the UK than over the last 950 years. It puts it in context for people, the extent of the betrayal by the Tories.”
Watch above on Politics Hub.
