PRITI PATEL has promised to introduce new asylum laws that would “send the left into meltdown,” it was reported today.

The Home Secretary claimed that the system was being “exploited by leftie Labour-supporting lawyers,” who she said were doing everything they could to stop the government from removing asylum-seekers.

Her comments, made to Tory MPs and revealed by The Times, came as refugees, including children, arrived in Dover for the 10th day in a row after risking their lives by crossing the English Channel.

More than 900 refugees have arrived in Britain in small boats since  August 4.

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy branded Ms Patel’s comments “extremely distasteful.”

And shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds urged ministers to provide solutions rather than “empty headlines.”

Mr Thomas-Symonds wrote to Ms Patel on Wednesday warning against militarising a humanitarian crisis.

The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs, which includes former party leader Jeremy Corbyn, warned that the Tories’ latest drive against refugees was a “blatant attempt to distract the public from their calamitous handling of coronavirus.”

A statement by the group said: “While the Conservative government and their billionaire press-baron allies try to whip up fear about a ‘migrant crisis,’ we know that the real crisis is the war, poverty and persecution that forces people to flee their homes and take dangerous journeys in search of a better life.

“The fact that it is often aggressive wars led by the UK and our allies that force people to flee their homes gives us a special responsibility to these people.” 

The government’s divide-and-rule tactics must be fought by the entire labour movement, the statement said, adding: “The real cause of problems working-class people face is an economic system rigged for the super rich, not migrants.”

Migrants’ Rights Network CEO Fizza Qureshi said that Ms Patel’s jibe about legal help for refugees was “completely unwarranted.”

“Our asylum system is broken, not exploited,” Ms Qureshi said. “It is inept and deals with people going through the system inhumanely.

“Lawyers are forced to intervene and support asylum-seekers because it is their duty to challenge any injustice they see. 

“The Home Secretary would fare better if she focused on complying with the UK’s international obligations to the Refugee Convention rather than trying to find ways to circumvent them.

“Otherwise, she will end up defending herself in the courts again.”

Care4Calais founder Clare Moseley said: “Asylum laws exist to make our country fair and protect refugees, some of the world's most vulnerable people. Priti Patel should think very carefully about the people these laws protect before making changes.

“We need our government to think compassionately and fairly about how to end the chaos in the Channel and the inhumane conditions in Calais. The solution is a safe, legal process for refugees to claim asylum, that will protect vulnerable people, give the UK control of its borders and end the grim market for people smugglers.”

A Lesbians and Gays Support the Migrants spokesperson said: “Priti Patel's targeting of people crossing the channel is little more than an attempt to stir up a culture war in order to distract from her government's dismal handling of Coronavirus and the economy.

“But her policies are not only illegal, they're putting lives at risk. It's high time this government stepped up to its responsibilities and created safe routes to asylum and protection for people who need it.”