Boris Johnson’s Windrush amnesty plan slapped down for ‘encouraging illegal immigrants’
The plan puts illegal immigrants on the same footing as people who are here legally, stormed an ally of the Foreign Sec
BORIS Johnson has been left isolated as even his allies abandoned his fresh demand for an illegal immigration amnesty.
The Foreign Secretary infuriated the PM in Cabinet on Tuesday by proposing the idea as a solution to the Windrush Commonwealth migrants scandal.
But he was attacked from across the Tory spectrum yesterday as nobody spoke out in support of the controversial idea.
Even Boris’s friend and longterm supporter Nadhim Zahawi dubbed the plan “wrong” and “unfair”.
Education minister Mr Zahawi added: “It assumes illegal immigrants should have the same status as people here legally.
“I think that’s the wrong assumption, because if you’re here working illegally, then you really shouldn’t be here.”
Immigration campaign group Migration Watch UK also slammed an amnesty, insisting it would encourage many more illegals to come to the UK.
Its chairman Lord Green dubbed it “a thoroughly misjudged and mistimed suggestion”.
He added: “It has nothing to do with the Windrush generation who, of course, have done nothing whatever illegal”.
Downing Street also slammed Boris’s amnesty idea and insisted one was not planned.
The PM’s official spokesman said: “It’s important you don’t provide any incentive for people to enter the country illegally”.
It is estimated that there are as many as 1.2 million illegal immigrants in Britain today, with as many as 250,000 more each year as more arrive and others overstay their visas.
The figure has been very difficult to measure after the Labour government in 1998 scrapped exit checks, and they were only reinstated in April 2015.
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