
No10 has claimed that the Home Office’s controversial “go home” immigration campaign is “already working”
Downing Street claimed that the scheme is working but indicated that the Home Office has not actually provided any statistics that prove the scheme is working and that officials have merely told their Number 10 counterparts that it has been a success.
The strategy has seen vans displaying posters targeted at illegal immigrants driving around six London boroughs. A Home Office source later said that the vans pilot had only ended on Sunday and that statistics on the scheme may not yet have been compiled.
It came as Downing Street slapped down Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, who yesterday described the campaign telling illegal immigrants to “go home or face arrest” as “stupid and offensive”.
Asked whether the Prime Minister agreed with Mr Cable’s view that the posters are offensive, Mr Cameron’s spokesman said: “No is the short answer. This pilot is about targeting people who are here illegally and giving the opportunity to leave the country voluntarily rather than be arrested, detained and removed and we know that voluntary returns are the most cost effective way of removing illegal immigrants.”
Asked if the pilot would be extended nationwide , the PM’s spokesman said: “The Home Office has said this is already working. Clearly, we will want to look at that in more detail and see how we take this forward.”
He claimed that the Conservatives were “obsessing” about the total level of immigration, which was leading them to make poor policy decisions.
However, Downing Street insisted the pilot had been signed off by “the Home Office team”, indicating that it has had support from Jeremy Browne, a Lib Dem minister in the department.
Ethnic businessman including some CEO’s have contacted us to see that they have been stopped in the streets and airports due to their colour and ethnicity due to ethnic profiling which the government have been running for the past 2 years.
There has also been a number of racial abuse and incidents taking place as a result of this campaign.
In recent years government communications have been in a mess and with no access to specialist communications experts we will see a number of gaffs in the future
Saad Saraf
CEO
www.thinkethnic.com