The British Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has come under increasing pressure for her handling of the “Windrush Affair” and statements she made to the House of Commons. Leaked documents showed that she had misled parliament, as she says in her resignation letter, “inadvertently”.
It is with great regret that I am resigning as home secretary. I feel it is necessary to do so because I inadvertently misled the Home Affairs Select Committee over targets for removal of illegal immigrants during their questions on Windrush.
Since appearing before the select committee, I have reviewed the advice I was given on this issue and become aware of information provided to my office which makes mention of targets. I should have been aware of this, and I take full responsibility for the fact that I was not.
Rudd had previously denied the existence of quotas for immigration to expel illegal immigrants.
Her replacement is another, if less passionate, “Remainer” (i.e. pro-EU). Sajid Javid is the son of a Pakistani bus driver and could well have been caught up in the changes of rules himself. The changes in law and regulations meant British immigrants (and their children) from Commonwealth countries became technically illegal immigrants.
The son of a Pakistani bus driver said he would review immigration policy to make sure it was fair and people were treated with "dignity and respect".
He is due to face MPs' questions on the subject in the Commons from 15:30 GMT.
Ms Rudd quit after she said she "inadvertently" misled MPs over immigration removal targets.
Ms Rudd told MPs last week the Home Office did not have targets for removing illegal immigrants, but on Sunday the Guardian published a letter in which Ms Rudd set out her "ambitious but deliverable" aim to deport 10% more illegal immigrants over the "next few years" to Theresa May.
He also becomes the first person of South Asian descent to hold one of the four “Great Offices of State”. These are the posts of Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary and Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary.
Monday, Apr 30, 2018 · 2:52:20 PM +00:00
·
Lib Dem FoP
I should have also pointed out that Javid is not only the first person of South Asian heritage to hold one of the Great Offices of State, but is the first from any ethnic minority to do so. (A number over the last century have been white Britons of Jewish descent.)