Home Office’s immigration shambles risks undermining the Brexit process

IT’S 12 years since then Home Secretary John Reid railed against our “not fit for purpose” immigration system – but nothing has changed.

The Windrush debacle, in which citizens of this country who have made their lives here, paid their taxes and grown families are being told to return to the Caribbean or refused medical treatment is a disgrace.

That the landing documents they so desperately need today were burnt is typical of the lack of control that the Labour Party had over immigration by the end of their term.

But more than that it’s a result of the complacency and incompetence that has marked out the Home Office for years.

Ever since Tony Blair abandoned all semblance of immigration control, we’ve no idea who is here and who isn’t.

One former immigration boss reckons there are a million immigrants here illegally, but that we don’t know where.

That’s on top of the 56,000 individuals due to be deported that the Home Office admits it has quite literally lost.

Brexit is approaching. The Government has rightly told 3 million EU citizens here that they’re welcome to stay.

How can they, or European leaders, have any confidence that the Home Office won’t send them home because they get their spreadsheets mixed up?

If Amber Rudd doesn’t get a grip, she could undermine the whole Brexit process.

Off their heads

THE snooty psychologists who helped free John Worboys need their heads examined.

It is staggering that even after a public backlash against their bone-headed decision they still insist they know best.

They say there’s no place for “common sense” in the justice system. We say there’s no place for their half-baked logic.

If it wasn’t for the bravery of the two victims who took the Parole Board to court and the “common sense” of High Court judges, Worboys would be stalking the streets.

This newspaper also fought the Parole Board in court, demanding that this shadowy operation opens itself to proper scrutiny.

The Board’s former boss, Nick Hardwick, has joined our call for decisions, and who it is that’s making them, to be made public.

The Justice Secretary promised to shine much-needed light into the Parole Board’s dark corners.

He must keep his nerve.

Best for trade

IT’S a shame a British company didn’t come up with the best bid to make our Brexit blue passports.

But De La Rue’s offering wasn’t just third-best — it would have cost taxpayers an extra £140million.

There was no case for a U-turn, no matter how screeching the protectionist voices arguing for it.

Leaving the EU means building a truly global country – an open, trading Britain.