Political figures to debate immigration, law and order on Channel 4 News specialThe Channel 4 News special The UK Decides: Immigration, Law and Order, will kickoff at 6:30pm presented by Krishnan Guru-Murphy.Chris Philp, the Home Office Minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, a shadow Cabinet Minister, Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper, Carla Denyer the Green co-party leader, Reform UK chairman Richard Tice, SNP deputy leader Keith Brown and Rhun ap Iorwerth, lead of PLAID CYMRU will be grilled by a live studio audience.The event in Colchester will last 90 minutes.ShareUpdated at 18.30 BSTKey eventsThe Economist has conducted a constituency poll in Gillingham and Rainham ahead of the general election.The constituency poll by WeThink puts Labour on 55%, the Conservative Party on 23% and Reform UK on 15%.ShareAnd that concludes the Channel 4 debate.ShareThomas-Symonds said the UK needs to set an example of following international law and using the international aid budget to help people return to their country of origin.ShareOn mass migration, Philp said the key is peace and prosperity such as promoting free trade.ShareIorwerth said the climate crsis is the main driver of migration. Tice responds it is about creating economic growth in developing nations to reduce pressure on migration.SharePlaid Cymru’s Rhun ap Iorwerth has spoken about being attacked as a teenager.ShareTice said the Green Party’s policies would entice more asylum seeker applications. And the UK should return people trying to cross the Channel.ShareDenyer said the Greens would create safe and legal routes, allow asymlum sekers to work while waiting for a decision on their application, end indefinite detention, and scrap the Rwanda scheme.SharePhilp says the Rwanda scheme acts as a deterrent to tackling the small boats issue. Tice responds saying 800 people crossed the English Channel today.ShareUpdated at 19.37 BSTThomas-Symonds says Labour would redirect the Rwanda scheme money to a Border Security Command, bringing together all the agencies and security services.ShareUpdated at 19.37 BSTCooper says the Lib Dems would scrap the Rwanda migration scheme and the money instead spent on 6,000 Home Office immigration case workers.ShareUpdated at 19.37 BSTOfficial figures show a much smaller rise in recorded knife crime offences overall since 2011.Reform’s Richard Tice suggested in the #c4debate that since the Conservatives took office “knife crime has almost tripled”. It’s not clear exactly what he has in mind. But official stats show a much smaller rise in recorded knife crime offences overall since 2011. pic.twitter.com/sd1WVF6VJo— C4 News FactCheck (@FactCheck) June 18, 2024

ShareOn processing asylum applications, Tice says 15 years ago it took a fortnight to be assessed and had the right to an appeal inside a week, and that the number accepted has gone up by 20% to 75%.ShareUpdated at 19.38 BST