Politics

Home Office wings it on immigration

Published

6 years ago

September 24, 2020

A KEY House of Commons Select Committee’s report has savaged the Home Office’s inability to provide information about immigration.
The Public Accounts Committee says the Department’s policy is informed less by hard evidence than by anecdote.
In its report, the Committee acknowledges that immigration ‘has always been a cause of public and political debate’. However, it expresses concern that, after many years of addressing the issue the Home Office can provide little evidence to inform that debate.
Despite previous enquiries and reports into the Home Office’s handling of immigration, the Committee says: ‘[T]he Department is still not sufficiently curious about the impact of its actions and the underlying reasons for the challenges it faces’.
The report criticises the Home Office for having no idea what impact it has achieved for the £400 million spent each year by its Immigration Enforcement directorate.
It continues: ‘There are major holes in the Department’s understanding of the size and scale of illegal immigration and the extent and nature of any resulting harm. It does not understand the support people need to navigate its systems effectively and humanely, or how its actions affect them’.

HOME OFFICE POLICY NOT BASED ON EVIDENCE

The Committee flays the Department for appearing to formulate policy on “anecdote, assumption and prejudice” and criticises it for showing ‘far too little concern’ over the consequences of its failures on both the illegal and legitimate migrant populations.
Despite years of public and political debate and concern, the Department still does not know the size of the illegal population in the UK.
It does not know what harm the illegal population causes.
It does not know how many people come to the UK legally and do not renew their visa, or how many deliberately come illegally.
The Home Office has not estimated the illegal population in the UK since 2005. It had no answer to the Committee’s concerns that potentially exaggerated figures calculated by unofficial sources could inflame hostility towards immigrants.
The Home Office does not know whether policies introduced to create what the then Home Secretary dubbed a hostile environment to deter illegal migration.
The lack of evidence base and “significant lack of diversity” at senior levels has created organisational “blind spots”, with the Windrush scandal a damning indictment of “the damage such a culture creates”.
In 2019, 62% of immigration detainees were released from detention because the Department could not return them as planned to their country of origin – up from 58% the year before. The Department doesn’t know why this figure is so high, or what it can do to ensure these returns are completed as planned.

‘INSUFFICIENTLY PREPARED’

The Home Office is unprepared for the challenges the UK’s exit from the EU presents to its immigration enforcement operations. In evidence to the Committee in mid-July it could provide no evidence that it had even begun discussions with the EU partners it relies on to support its international operations, including the return of foreign national offenders and illegal migrants.
The Home Office has belatedly accepted a previous Committee recommendation that it must extend its “lessons learned” review of Windrush Department beyond Caribbean Commonwealth nationals to include nationals from other Commonwealth countries.
The Committee is not convinced that the Department is sufficiently prepared to properly safeguard the existing, legal immigrant population in the UK, while also implementing a new immigration system and managing its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHAIR’S COMMENTS

Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The Home Office has frighteningly little grasp of the impact of its activities in managing immigration. It shows no inclination to learn from its numerous mistakes across a swathe of immigration activities – even when it fully accepts that it has made serious errors.
“It accepts the wreckage that its ignorance and the culture it has fostered caused in the Windrush scandal – but the evidence we saw shows too little intent to change, and inspires no confidence that the next such scandal isn’t right around the corner.
“15 years after the then Home Secretary declared the UK’s immigration system “not fit for purpose” it is time for transformation of the Immigration Enforcement into a data-led organisation. Within six months of this report we expect a detailed plan, with set priorities and deadlines, for how the Home Office is going to make this transformation.”
A Home Office spokesperson responded to the report, saying: “We have developed a balanced and evidence-based approach to maintaining a fair immigration system. Since 2010, we have removed more than 53,000 foreign national offenders and more than 133,000 people as enforced removals.
“On a daily basis we continue to tackle those who fail to comply with our immigration laws and abuse our hospitality by committing serious, violent and persistent crimes, with immigration enforcement continually becoming more efficient.”
Why the Home Office could not provide proof of that ‘balanced and evidence-based approach’ to the Public Accounts Committee remains a mystery.

Business

Call for all-weather horse-riding arena in Lamphey refused

Published

1 hour ago

April 12, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL for an all-weather horse-riding arena and self-catering ‘pods’ near Pembrokeshire’s historic Lamphey Bishop’s Palace & Lamphey Court has been refused.

In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, James White sought permission for a 20 by 40 metre all-weather turnout and horse-riding arena along with two accommodation pods at Lower Lamphey Park, The Ridgeway, Lamphey, near Pembroke.

The proposed site forms part of a walled garden and agricultural land to the south of Lower Lamphey Park under 500m from Scheduled Monument, Lamphey Bishop’s Palace, Lamphey and inside the boundaries of Registered Park and Garden, Lamphey Bishop’s Palace & Lamphey Court.

The walled garden is located approximately 75m to the south of Grade-II-Listed Buildings, Barn at Upper Lamphey Barn and Grade-II*-Listed Building, Four Mediaeval House at Upper Lamphey Park Farm.

The application was supported by local community council Lamphey, but Natural Resources Wales (NRW) raised concerns regarding the location of the proposal within a Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC) catchment.

The council’s landscape officer – objected, saying there was an “under-representation of site features for the walled garden, lack of cultural appreciation of building and landscape qualities of the garden and lack of design input to the horse area”.

An officer report recommending refusal said an initial description in the application of the ‘pods’ being temporary had, by email from the applicant, being confirmed as not, being secured to the ground with waste connections, their intended use being self-catered units.

The application was refused on the grounds the pods would “result in an unjustified and harmful impact on the character and appearance of the open countryside,” and, due to the lack of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) it is not possible to conclude that there would not be an adverse effect on the historic environment.

It was also refused for reasons including insufficient information provided to conclude that increases in nutrient inputs in the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC can be ruled out, and in the absence of an appropriate habitat and protected species survey “the proposal fails to demonstrate that the development would not adversely affect protected species, thereby reducing biodiversity”.

Crime

Over 500 arrests at latest Palestine Action protest in London

Published

2 hours ago

April 12, 2026

Tom Sinclair

The Herald understands demonstrators from Pembrokeshire were among those in London as 523 people were detained at Trafalgar Square vigil

MORE than 500 people were arrested in Trafalgar Square on Saturday during a mass protest against the ban on Palestine Action, in what campaigners say has pushed the total number of arrests linked to the group’s proscription to more than 3,300 since July 2025.

The Herald understands that a number of those attending had travelled from Wales, including some protesters from Pembrokeshire.

The Metropolitan Police said 523 people were arrested during the demonstration, where protesters staged what organisers described as a silent vigil against the war in Gaza and the use of terrorism laws against pro-Palestinian activism.

Those detained were said to range in age from 18 to 87. Among those arrested was Robert Del Naja, the Massive Attack musician and artist, who was identified by national media as being among those detained during the protest.

The latest mass arrests come amid continuing legal and political controversy over the Government’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action under terrorism legislation.

The group was banned after activists broke into RAF Brize Norton in July 2025 and damaged military aircraft in protest at Britain’s support for Israel. The proscription came into force on July 5, 2025, making it a criminal offence to belong to the group or to express support for it.

However, in February this year, the High Court ruled that the ban was unlawful. Despite that decision, the proscription remains in force while the Government pursues an appeal, which is due to be heard later this month.

That legal uncertainty has fuelled criticism of the Metropolitan Police, which had initially indicated it would not arrest people simply for holding signs while the case remained unresolved. The force later reversed that position and resumed enforcement.

The handling of Saturday’s protest has drawn further scrutiny after former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu said the “optics” were “very challenging for the police” when faced with hundreds of peaceful demonstrators willing to be arrested.

Campaigners say the arrests raise serious questions about free speech, peaceful assembly and the practical enforcement of the law, particularly while the ban itself remains under appeal.

The protest was organised by Defend Our Juries, which said many of those detained were elderly or disabled and claimed the latest arrests showed the ban was becoming increasingly difficult to enforce consistently.

There was further controversy after reports that Devon and Cornwall Police did not make arrests at a similar protest in Truro on Friday, despite demonstrators there reportedly holding the same signs as those seen in London.

With the Court of Appeal due to hear the case on April 28 and 29, the latest arrests are likely to intensify pressure on both ministers and police over how far terrorism laws should be used in response to peaceful public protest.

News

Senedd election candidates confirmed as vote.wales goes live

Published

23 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Voters can now check who is standing in their constituency ahead of polling day on May 7

A TOTAL of 675 candidates will contest the Senedd election on May 7, with voters across Wales now able to see exactly who is standing in their area through the newly launched vote.wales website.

The nomination period for candidates closed at 4:00pm on Thursday (Apr 9), and full details of all confirmed candidates are now available online.

At this year’s election, Wales has been divided into 16 constituencies, with each one electing six Members of the Senedd under a closed-list proportional voting system. Voters will receive one ballot paper and will be able to vote either for a political party or for an individual independent candidate.

Under the new system, the number of seats won in each constituency is intended to broadly reflect each party’s share of the vote. That means, for example, that a party receiving around half the vote in a constituency would be expected to win three of the six available seats.

Political parties were allowed to put forward up to eight candidates in each constituency, while individuals were also able to stand as independents.

In total, the 675 candidates standing for election are competing for 96 seats in the next Senedd. They represent 16 political parties, along with 30 independent candidates.

Voters can use the postcode search on vote.wales to find out who is standing in their constituency. The website also allows users to check where their polling station is, what accessibility features are available there, and which constituency they belong to.

People wanting to see who is standing in other parts of Wales can do so through the site’s “Browse by constituency” section.

Vote.wales is a new website created for this year’s Senedd election and is intended to give voters clear and reliable information before polling day. It is managed by the Electoral Management Board for Wales, which is part of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru.

From Thursday, April 16, candidates’ leaflets will also be published on the site, allowing voters to see not only who is standing, but what they are standing for.

The website also includes information on how to vote, who is entitled to vote, and what powers and responsibilities the Senedd has.

Shereen Williams MBE OStJ, Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, said: “We created vote.wales to give people all the information they need before the Senedd election on May 7.

“Now that candidates have been confirmed across Wales, people can find out exactly who they can vote for with a simple postcode search.

“We’re grateful to all the Returning Officers and election staff across Wales who are working so hard to deliver this election. It’s thanks to their hard work that people can now go to vote.wales to see who is standing in their constituency.

“If you have any questions about this election, vote.wales is the place to go. Voting confidence starts here.”

Who is standing?

In the Ceredigion Penfro constituency, voters will be choosing from candidates representing the Welsh Conservatives, Gwlad, the Heritage Party, Plaid Cymru, Plaid Werdd Cymru, Reform UK, Welsh Labour and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, along with three independents.

For the Welsh Conservatives, the candidates are Paul Windsor Davies, Samuel Deri Kurtz, Claire Victoria George, Brian Andrew Murphy, Gill Evans and Claire Malaina Jones.

Gwlad has selected Gwyn Wigley Evans, while the Heritage Party candidate is Elizabeth Davies.

Plaid Cymru has put forward Elin Jones, Kerry Ferguson, Anna Nicholl, Cris Tomos, Colin Nosworthy, Clive Davies, Owain Jones and Matt Adams.

Plaid Werdd Cymru is standing Amy Nicholass, Tomass Jereminovics, James Henry Purchase, Morgan Hope Phillips, Rosie O’Toole and Kezia Autumn Hine.

Reform UK’s candidates are Susan Claire Archibald, Paul Marr, Michael Timothy Allen, Elisa Bessie Gonzalez Randall, Peter Martin John and Bernard Holton.

Welsh Labour has selected Eluned Morgan, Marc Tierney, Joshua Phillips, Margaret Greenaway, Tansaim Hussain-Gul, Luke Davies-Jones and Peter Huw Jenkins.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are standing Sandra Louise Jervis, Alistair Ronald Cameron, Tom Hughes, Lee Dennis Thomas John Herring, Andrew Christopher Lye and Maggie Robinson.

The independent candidates in the constituency are Aaron Carey, George Alexander Chadzy and Paul Haywood Dowson.

Voters have until April 20 to register to take part in the election. Unlike some other polls, photo ID is not required to vote at Senedd elections.