Rishi Sunak has refused to say whether Suella Braverman received legal advice to transfer migrants out of the Manston asylum processing centre.
Speaking during PMQs, Keir Starmer told the prime minister to “get a grip” on migration.
He asked the prime minister: “Did the home secretary receive legal advice that she should move people out? Yes or no?”
But Sunak did not answer, telling the Labour leader: “He knows the government’s policy on commenting on legal advice.”
The prime minister added that Braverman had taken “significant action” to “fix the issue”.
Starmer told MPs the answer was actually “yes” and accused the PM of being “weak” and not having the “guts” to admit it.
“Start governing for once and get a grip.” Starmer added.
Braverman told the Commons on Monday she had “not ever ignored legal advice” but would “not comment on the contents of legal advice that I may have seen”.
The Manston facility in Kent is reported to be housing 4,000 people, but only has room for 1,600.
Hundreds of migrants have been moved out of the centre following concerns it had become dangerously overcrowded.
On Monday Braverman admitted the UK’s asylum system was “broken”, as she came under pressure in the Commons about her actions as home secretary.
Starmer said today: “If the asylum system is broken, and his lot have been in power for 12 years, how can it be anyone’s fault but theirs?”
Sunak defended his party’s record but said there was a “serious and escalating problem” with migration and admitted that “not enough” asylum claims were being processed.