Labour minister torn apart by GMB viewers as migrant remark leaves them seething

Good Morning Britain viewers ripped into Sarah Jones after she claimed it was "the right thing" to give convicted sex offender Hadush Kebatu £500. Kebatu was handed £500 of taxpayer cash as he was deported back to Ethiopia, after threatening to disrupt the removal process. The illegal immigrant, who was previously jailed for 12 months for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in Epping, was sent back to Ethiopia after he was mistakenly released from prison last week.

Appearing on Thursday's (October 30) instalment of the ITV programme, Jones admitted to presenters Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh that "it feels wrong", but in the same breath, defended the decision to give the sex offender money. The minister for policing and crime said she understands it "sticks in the throat" but claimed it was the right decision after a choice needed to be made. She said: "A decision was made by the operatives. In order to get that man on the plane and out of the country, they gave him £500. The cost of him not going on that plane and having to buy other tickets and flights would have been £10,000.

"There was a choice - £500 versus £10,000. I think that was the right choice but I completely understand that it's galling."

Ranvir revealed that £500 equates to 20 months' salary in Ethiopia, prompting her to question why a convicted sex offender was given nearly one years' salary while the victims are not being supported.

"Objectionable is a very weak word for it," the presenter said.

Jones responded: "I completely understand what you're saying. The choice that those operatives made, which I think was the right one, was do we spend £500 or £10,000. That was the choice that was made and I think it was the right one."

Her comments sparked outrage, with viewers taking to social media to express their frustration.

One wrote: "Giving a convicted sex offender £500 to go quietly is beyond belief! Forcibly restrain and remove him, even if it cost 10x that amount. All you're teaching people like this is that they can do the same and get away with it!"

A second simply described the politician as "gutless".

Another raged: "That's what happens when you can't make your own rules up and are still run by Europe even after brexit! Absolute joke."

A fourth added: "If Labour don't start stepping up to the plate and do what's right we will end up with a bunch of mercenaries, like America, taking the law into their own hands. Do we really want to end up like that?!"

Mocking the Labour government, an additional viewer said: "Welcome to Britain illegals. Come in, commit a crime and earn yourself nearly 2 years salary and off you pop. S***show."