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Migrants row minister is snubbed over debate
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor21 Oct 2008
EMBATTLED immigration minister Phil Woolas was under fire again today as the Tories claimed he had been "pulled" from leading a Commons debate on border controls.
Downing Street was forced to declare that the Prime Minister had full confidence in Mr Woolas despite the continuing row over his apparent U-turns on immigrant numbers policy.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green was opening an Opposition debate on immigration this afternoon. Under conventions Mr Woolas would have been expected to "man mark" him by opening for the Government.
Instead Home Secretary Jacqui Smith stepped in and led the debate. Mr Woolas was due to close the four-hour debate, but only after the key early evening TV bulletins and newspaper deadlines. Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve said: "It is extraordinary that the Government does not trust the new immigration minister to open a debate on immigration."
The Home Office stressed that Ms Smith had decided last Friday to represent the Government in the debate - before Mr Woolas's weekend interview in which he suggested he backed a Tory-style cap on immigrant numbers.
Mr Woolas may get into hot water over his suggestion that the public " perception" was that Britain's "immigrant community" did not obey the law.
On Sunday, he appeared to retract his original remarks about a possible cap on migrant numbers after civil servants pointed out difficulties with such a radical policy. He triggered another row yesterday by criticising the Government's failure to fund asylum removals properly, which he said had caused "untold human misery and division".
After a tense meeting with Ms Smith, he was forced to put out a "clarification" statement claiming that he had simply been referring to the previous policies of all governments-Today, when asked if Gordon Brown still had full confidence in his minister, the Prime Minister's spokesman replied: "The answer to your question is clearly yes."
The spokesman said Mr Woolas had been trying to "put current successes in "historical perspective" and added: "He was also making clear why we have brought in so many of the changes we have."
Sources close to Ms Smith conceded that the Home Secretary did not always lead for the Government on Opposition debates but said that she felt that immigration was an important subject.
Mr Woolas, whose Oldham constituency suffered race riots in recent years, said at the weekend that he had prevented the BNP from getting a foothold locally because he had been "getting in and getting dirty" on the issue.
Reader views (1)
So, preventing the BNP from getting a foothold in Oldham helps get rid of illegal immigrants how?
By the looks of things the BNP are the only party willing to tackle the immigration abortion which NuLabour created head on.
Enough hot air Mr. Woolas do something about it and do it now.
- Jimbob, Kensington, 22/10/2008 08:14
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