QUOTE OF THE MONTH [bonus]

‘Equally dispiriting was the way we had to deal with cases which did not have the slightest merit. Through years of experience, I developed a sense for those who were trying to spin a yarn, like the thousands of Sri Lankans who would falsely claim to be caught up in the horrors of the island’s civil war or to be fleeing the Tamil Tigers.

The repetition of the same story so many times persuaded me that this could not be the whole truth, and that they were simply being tutored to lie by middlemen as part of a bogus asylum racket.

I also grew thoroughly fed up with the number of migrants who contracted bogus marriages to stay here, and then - when they had their claims rejected - cited the Human Rights Act in their defence, eagerly supported by their publicly funded lawyer, who would talk piously about the Act’s clause on ‘the right to family life’.

The system is crazy. It is nothing to do with merit or upholding a fair immigration policy. It is just an expensive, legalistic game that undermines the integrity of our borders and our judiciary, making a mockery of any concept of public service ...

I think the rot began in 1992, when the Tory government severely restricted the use of temporary work permits for immigrants. So those who wanted to work or settle here sought out alternative avenues.

Hence the development of the vast immigration industry, complete with false documentation, bogus claims of asylum and an army of lawyers and advisers depending for their living on processing applications.

The Home Office has been struggling to cope ever since.

And the Labour Government has made the problems even worse, partly through the removal in 1998 of embarkation controls - so they do not have a clue how many people are leaving the country or how many are legally here - partly through cuts in the Immigration Service, and partly through the Human Rights Act.

And, of course, it’s also down to their noisy encouragement of mass immigration, spreading the belief across Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe that everyone who comes here will be welcomed, which can never be the case ...

If there was genuine political will to resolve the crisis, the Government could strengthen the system. But given what I have seen of the new Home Secretary, I fear it will remain a farce, and I no longer want any part of it.’

Countess of Mar, deputy speaker of the House of Lords and who resigned last week from the Immigration Appeals Tribunal, writing in The Daily Mail.