"You're not Christian": Angry voter blasts Doncaster Tory MP's 'we are full' rant as newspaper debunks claims

Don Valley MP Nick Fletcher came under fire last week for an explosive address in the Commons’ Rwanda debate which saw him dubbed a “Nazi” over the “racist" speech which saw him compared to fellow 1960s Tory MP Enoch Powell, famed for his “Rivers of Blood” speech which was accused of inciting racial hatred.

An unrepentant Mr Fletcher has doubled down on his views, despite national newspaper The Times suggesting his figures and comments were inaccurate.

Now an angry constiutent has written an open letter to the MP, telling him: "Your views disgust me” and told him: “Stop using your religion to spout hate.”

Mr Fletcher, who is a practising Christian, says he was “telling the truth” and the vast majority of residents agree with him.

26-year-old constituent Charlie, wrote in full:

“I left my job earlier this year and I am now looking for work, but I've never earned over £30K.

"I am not a lawyer. Due to congenital health issues, I spend a lot of time in hospitals.

"I was born and raised in the Don Valley constituency. I am someone you are supposedly standing up for, and I am ashamed to say that we call the same town our home.

“Your comments in the Commons disgust me.

“To use your Christian values to justify your views and vote upsets me deeply. I attended a Christian primary school and was taught that Christians always support those less fortunate than themselves.

"I was taught that when someone suffers, you do what you can to help. You, Mr Fletcher, do not show these Christian values.

"I have sat in DRI A&E many times and I have never felt that the cause of the prolonged wait is due to a "waiting room full of people whose first language is not English."

"Rather, I have been aware that the waiting times are due to consistent understaffing and underfunding through 13 years of Conservative Government policies.

“Asylum seekers should not have to risk their lives to reach safety. Yes, "stop the boats" by providing safe routes for people to claim asylum.

"Stop the boats" by ceasing the sale of weapons, enhancing wars which create asylum crises. "Stop the boats" by initiating strong environmental policies to reduce climate refugees.

“I volunteer to support asylum seekers. I know how the system works and where the issues are.

"Vulnerable, scared, powerless... these are not the people ruining the UK. It is the government that has defunded our services and searches for a scapegoat that is at fault.

“It is not left-wing to believe that people should be safe. It is a human right to seek asylum. When you make such hateful and inaccurate comments, do not do so in the name of Christianity and do not do so in the name of constituents such as myself.

“Shipping off scared people to Rwanda is inhumane. The Christians in my life know this and want to do what they can to prevent this colossal trauma-inducing, last-ditch-attempt-to-save-the-Tories charade.

“Stop using your religion to spout hate. And actually practice the values of helping those less fortunate. Be grateful that you live in a safe country. Life can change overnight for anyone.”

It comes after an investigation by The Times into Mr Fletcher's comments.

In his speech, Mr Fletcher, jeered by other MPs, said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again/ Doncaster is full.”

Homes are being turned into multi-occupancy housing, he said, while there are “ghettos” where people “do not speak English” with services stretched to breaking point.

Mr Fletcher, a landlord with ten properties, more than any other MP in the Commons, was told by the newspaper: “Zoom in on the data about modern Donny and calling it full feels like a stretch.

"Compare the size of its households with others and Doncaster’s families are less cramped than the national average. British people pack 2.4 people into each home on average; in Doncaster, it is 2.3.

“Britain’s housing crisis has been well documented. We have one of the lowest property vacancy rates in Europe, with only 1.1 per cent of homes sitting empty long-term. In Doncaster, that figure is 1.4 per cent.

“How much physical space we have is often at odds with lived experience. But what about the practical implications? Take schools. England is notorious for its crowded classrooms: there is an average of 26.7 pupils in a typical primary lesson. Countries such as Greece (17), Italy (19) and even France (23) put us to shame. Yet in British terms, Doncaster’s young, with classrooms of 26.5 pupils, are no more squeezed than their neighbours.”

The paper added: “Over the past decade nearly three million people have come to Britain, roughly four per cent of the population. This influx is mainly concentrated in cities: some London boroughs have absorbed the equivalent of 20 per cent of their populations or more.

“Yet by any measure, Doncaster, where 69 per cent voted Leave in 2016, has not had a huge wave of immigration. The borough of 308,000 people has experienced 9,000 international arrivals in the past decade, a ratio of 2.9 per cent, below the national average.

The city has 1,225 asylum seekers, official data says, which is in line with the national average.

Following the speech, in a social media post headed “telling the truth” he wrote: “I have had many emails. The vast majority agree with me. It’s sad though that those who disagree seem unable to articulate their views without resorting to using what can only at best be described as foul and abusive language.

“Immigration has always happened but it has to be controlled. I will always do all that I can to ensure that happens.

"We are a tolerant nation but our hospitality has been abused.

“Doncaster is full.”