Kate Garraway on GMB wearing a green dress
TV

GMB host Kate Garraway issues apology over asylum seeker comment: ‘I made an error’

She admitted to quoting 'misinformation'

GMB host Kate Garraway was forced to apologise today over what she called “misinformation” during a debate about asylum seekers.

Kate hosted the show (April 15) alongside Adil Ray and the pair invited Tom Pursglove, minister for justice and tackling illegal migration, on to discuss the news asylum seekers will be sent from the UK to Rwanda.

The interview was a heated one, with Adil determined to get an answer out of Pursglove over whether he would ever go and live in Rwanda.

However, between technical difficulties and the fact the MP clearly didn’t want to answer the question, the hosts didn’t really get the response they wanted.

Kate Garraway on GMB wearing a green dress with Adil Ray in a suit
Kate Garraway issued an apology on GMB today after she and Adil Ray hosted a segment about asylum seekers (Credit: ITV)

What happened with Kate Garraway on GMB today?

In an attempt to coax the minister into responding, Kate and GMB co-host Adil gave him some “facts”.

“You are sending them to a country that last year the UK Foreign Office said it was still a grave concern when it came to human rights. That’s the UK Foreign Office!” Adil said.

“And saying that there are no rights there for LGBTQ members of our community and you are going to send people there,” he continued.

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“In 2018, the police shot 12 protesters dead, refugee protesters.

“You are sending people there, where is the ethics in that? Forget the legal duty, forget the strategy, where is the ethics which our country and our reputation depends on?” he continued.

Kate added: “We took 250 refugees from Rwanda into the UK last year.

“There must have been a reason why we felt they had a case for safe harbour here and that rankles hard with people who think, hold on, we’re sending people to Rwanda that are already in fear.”

‘I made an error’

However, Kate’s comment appeared to not be entirely factual, which promoted her to apologise.

Later in the show, as GMB returned from a break, Kate issued her apology.

“I’d just like to apologise. I made an error, a factual error Adil,” she said addressing her co-host.

“When we were discussing with the minister about people being taken asylum from Rwanda… I was making the point, as you were, that some people don’t think Rwanda is a very safe place for asylum seekers.

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“I said 250 fleeing the country were granted asylum in the UK, that was wrong, they were granted asylum in Europe in the whole,” Kate continued.

I want to get my facts right and I apologise for that misinformation.

“So, I guess the point is the same though?

“The point is the same, that they didn’t feel safe in Rwanda, they wanted to come to Europe.

“But I want to get my facts right and I apologise for that misinformation,” she concluded.

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Nancy Brown
Associate Editor