Patrick Christys

British journalist, presenter, documentarian.

In the four years since he joined GB News, initially as a prsenter of To The Point, Patrick Christys has become one of the most widely recognised young journalists in Britain. Today, he presents the channel’s weekday flagship programme Tonight. Elsewhere, he has appeared on BBC’s Politics Live and Sky News.

Why did we invite him on?

The subject of illegal immigration has dominated the public conversation in Britain for some time, but the last 12 months have seen it flare to near-frenzy. The Southport attacks inspired demonstrations across the country, left-wing politicians have altered their rhetoric to reflect the public mood, and Reform - the political party making the most significant pledges to reduce and deport - have experienced a meteoric ascent. As the consequences become impossible to ignore, the narrative becomes impossible to accept.

Patrick has been on the frontline. In the last few months, he’s increasingly left the studio for the streets, investigating the reality of migrant crossings and getting perspective from the migrants themselves. He’s been to London, to Callais, and to the border in Dover. He’s seen each stage of the process, from the camps, to the rivers, to the beaches they arrive on, capturing both the scale of the problem and the brazen negligence of those in charge.

Why is it happening? How can we fix it? We wanted Patrick to share his experience, and an unflinching, hour-long conversation seemed like the right thing for it.

What did we learn?

You’ve probably been told conflicting rationalisations for the border crisis. Most of us receive our information second-hand, often channelled through the biases of whoever is relaying it. Depending on who you ask, it’s either a perfectly manageable number of predominantly women and children who are seeking refuge from persecution overseas, or it’s a parade of violent criminals with designs on destroying Britain. Neither sound entirely convincing.

But Patrick doesn’t need second-hand news - he’s been to the borders, both here and in France, and he’s asked those boarding the boats why they do so. For as much confusion as Britain suffers regarding it, the people Patrick spoke to had no such lack of clarity.

”They’re open about why they want to come to Britain. They want a house, they want the money, they want the benefits, and they think there’s very little chance of being deported from Britain.”

But why? Since Brexit, Britain has had sovereignty over its borders, so what’s the hold-up? Well, as Patrick explains, Brexit has actually made the process more difficult.

The Dublin Agreement is an EU law that determines which member state is responsible for examining an asylum application. It dictates that the first EU country where an asylum seeker arrives is responsible for their case. But Britain is no longer beholden to this law. That’s why they leave from France. During his investigative work, Patrick spoke to a migrant about to make the trip to Britain - he’d already been through 7 different countries.

But presumably, these illegal migrants will have no choice but to return if they can’t find work. And given how stringent the job market is, it has to be more trouble than it’s worth. Apparently not. As Patrick explains, using only a phone, they can find work in London in “a matter of minutes.”