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Governance/Geopolitics
British home secretary Amber Rudd steps down from post over deportation scandal

Just Earth News | @justearthnews | 30 Apr 2018, 06:29 am Print

British home secretary Amber Rudd steps down from post over deportation scandal

London: British home secretary Amber Rudd has resigned from her post, stating that she 'inadvertently misled' Members of Parliament over an illegal immigration scandal which pertains to deportation of Windrush generation migrants from the Carribbean.

Rudd was reportedly forced to resign because it is assumed that she "was aware of targets for removing illegal migrants from Britain."

According to The Guardian, the pressure increased late on Sunday afternoon when the newspaper revealed that in a leaked 2017 letter to Theresa May, Rudd had told the prime minister of her intention to increase deportations by 10% – seemingly at odds with her recent denials that she was aware of deportation targets.

Commenting on Rudd's departure, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has said that the former has done the right thing.

She has urged British Prime Minister Theresa May to come forward and explain 'whether she knew that Amber Rudd was misleading Parliament and the public last week'.

"This was inevitable, the only surprise is that it took so long.The architect of this crisis, Theresa May, must now step forward to give a full and honest account of how this inexcusable situation happened on her watch," Abbott tweeted.

Theresa May however has said that she is sorry to see Rudd leave. "The prime minister has tonight accepted the resignation of the home secretary," said a spokesman for May's office earlier, according to media reports.

The British Prime Minister further added that the home secretary should take great pride in whatever she has achieved.

According to reports, Rudd was under pressure to leave, following the huge outcry over the Windrush scandal.


What is the Windrush scandal?

Windrush Scandal is the latest fiasco to hit Britain.

People from the Caribbean who had arrived in Britain decades ago in the post World War II period are now being denied basic rights after being incorrectly identified as illegal immigrants.

These are essentially British citizens, but do not have the papers to show evidence.

Many of them have also been wrongly deported.

"Many have been told they need evidence,including passports, to continue working or getting health treatment despite living, working and paying tax in Britain for decades. Some arrived on their parents' documentation and never formally applied for British citizenship or a passport," read a report published by the The Straits Times.

However, breaking her silence, home secretary Rudd told the British Parliament, "Frankly, some of the way they have been treated has been wrong, has been appalling, and I am sorry."

The present British immigration rules were changed in 2012, when May was the Interior Minister.

Abbott has labelled May as the 'architect of this crisis'.

 

Image: twitter.com/AmberRuddHR