Labour has slapped down MP Clive Lewis for claiming the Government was adopting a “concentration camp” policy towards migrants.

Rishi Sunak set out plans to house migrants in disused holiday camps, surplus military barracks and former student halls of residence.

Mr Lewis told the BBC: “Let’s be really clear here: my understanding is if you put a group of people concentrated into a camp – as you did in South Africa in the Boer War – it’s what you call a concentration camp.

“Now, I’m not making any…”

Fellow guest on the Politics Live show Damian Green, the former Tory Cabinet minister, said: “You just have, that’s ridiculous.”

Mr Lewis continued: “It’s a concentration of people…. Look what they’re talking about – putting people in camps en masse because of their (the Government’s) mess.

“Let’s just be really clear where we are – that is the technical term for it, a concentration of people in a camp.”

He said that “language is important but so is motivation and what this Government is doing”.

A Labour spokesman said the comments were “clearly not appropriate” and it would be a matter for the whips whether the Norwich South MP should face disciplinary action.

Asked if Sir Keir Starmer would urge Mr Lewis not to repeat the remarks, the spokesman said: “Yes.”

Downing Street also criticised the Labour MP’s comments.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t think that would be an appropriate comparison at all.

“As ever, when it comes to accommodation, we’ll make sure that it is wholly appropriate and has the right levels of support for those being housed.

“The Prime Minister has talked about being fair and compassionate in our approach to this.”

The TV discussion took place as a rescue operation was being conducted following the fatal capsizing of a small boat in the English Channel.