Nigel Farage's explosive demand to Andy Burnham over migrants after weekend of unrest

Andy Burnham must review grants given to illegal immigrants following a wave of protests in the South of England, Nigel Farage has said. It comes after protests in Devon and Portsmouth over the arrival of asylum seekers led to masked men taking to the streets. Balaclava wearing men chased vans full of migrants in Portsmouth and clashed with police over the weekend after the arrival of a so-called 'Mega Dingy'. A video, posted online, carried the caption: "In pursuit of migrant coaches from Portsmouth NOW!! We are heading towards DOVER." It was reported that around 500 people had joined protests in the area with some dressed up in black costumes following a similar protest in Dover on Saturday. Now Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has called for a review of all asylum grants following the protests. Government data shows some 42,000 people were granted refugee protection in the half of this year alone. Recent reports in the Times newspaper suggested that only one in every one hundred such claims were genuine, according to a whistleblower. Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage MP said: "We know that most of those landing on our shores are not genuine asylum seekers. They are military aged men with no identification and no right to be in this country. Yet, our weak system continues to accept tens of thousands of bogus asylum claims every year. "Just on Sunday, 625 illegal migrants arrived on the UK's south coast. No doubt they will be housed at the taxpayer's expense in communities across this country. These grants must be reviewed immediately." Speaking earlier today the Reform UK shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf was interrupted by the far-right activist Danny Thomas as he spoke to the media. Mr Thomas is a convicted attempted kidnapper and former soldier who helped organise the protests under the banner of the "Patriot Platform". It was launched in June to "reclaim our borders, restore order and send a clear message: Britain belongs to the British". He has previously expressed long-standing support for Tommy Robinson. Mr Thomas was jailed in 2016 for attempting to kidnap a man in Hampshire. The protests follow a large boat of migrants being intercepted between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth over the weekend. It comes as part of a change of tactics employed by people smugglers which have seen them change the routes they use to move migrants. A government spokesman previously condemned the "intimidating and thuggish behaviour". "The right to peaceful protest is fundamental to our democracy, but it must never cross a line into disorder," he said. "We thank the emergency services who are working to safely manage this situation."