IMMIGRATION

26 January 2005

One of the good things to emerge out of the recent Conservative proposals on immigration, is that the extent of the surrender of border controls to the EU has been exposed. Labour are now claiming that they have signed away so much of our sovereignty that we can no longer unilaterally introduce tougher immigration controls.

Last October, the Labour surrendered the UK’s veto on asylum and immigration policy to the EU.

Michael Howard has reacted by promising to wrestle back control of immigration from the EU. This all sounds very well, but he does not explain how this will be achieved when he knows very well that the EU never gives up power.

This will be compounded if the new EU constitution is adopted, as it includes the concept of the right to asylum as set out in the 1951 UN Convention.

Meanwhile, Steven Pilkington, the retiring chief constable of Avon and Somerset, has complained that it is too easy for foreign gangsters and criminals to re-enter the UK even after they have been deported. He said: ‘Once they have entered our country, abused our hospitality and they are convicted and deported, that should be it. They should simply not be able to get back into the country’.