Government should get real on immigration

3.21.22pm GMT Tue 26th Feb 2008

Commenting on the news that the number of failed asylum seekers and dependants removed from Britain last year fell by 26% compared with the previous 12 months, Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Huhne said:

"Despite the boasts of ministers, these figures highlight the nonsense of Government claims that they can simply deport the hundreds of thousands of people living illegally in this country.

"We have an underclass of more than half a million people paying no taxes, with no rights and no access to public services.

"How can the Government, which has consistently got its figures so catastrophically wrong on immigration, expect us to believe it will be able to deport so many people?

"The time has come to allow those who have lived here for ten years and have no criminal record the chance to earn British citizenship."