Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

We got it wrong on immigration, says Johnson

Nigel Morris,Deputy Political Editor
Monday 02 November 2009 20:00 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Home Secretary admitted yesterday the Government had made serious mistakes over immigration and in the aftermath of the 7 July bombings. Alan Johnson confessed Labour had been "maladroit" in its handling of immigration and accepted ministers had ignored for "far too long" the problems that led to a backlog of 450,000 unprocessed claims.

Mr Johnson also acknowledged parts of Britain were struggling to cope. In his first speech on the subject, he said: "There are communities which have been disproportionately affected by immigration, where people have legitimate concerns about the strain that the growth in the local population has placed on jobs and services."

He argued progress was being made, saying: "While I accept that governments of both persuasions, including this one, have been maladroit in their handling of this issue, I do believe that the UK is now far more successful at tackling immigration than most of its European and North American neighbours."

His comments mark a striking change of tone. Only recently, Mr Johnson insisted he did not "lie awake at night" worrying about Britain's population reaching 70 million. The Home Secretary also conceded that some anti-terror proposals, such as the detention of suspects for up to 90 days without trial, had gone too far. "That probably was an understandable feeling: that we should be more draconian. But perhaps that wasn't the right way to go," he said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in