Here is the latest nomination in our series highlighting people David Cameron should consider appointing to the House of Lords.
If you would like to nominate someone, please email Jonathan Isaby with your suggestion, ideally including key arguments for the nomination as well as biographical information. The sources of nominations will be treated confidentially where requested.
No. 46: Sir Andrew Green
A reader from London writes:
"For decades immigration was seen by many politicians (and much of the media “establishment”) as a no-go zone: multiculturalism and political correctness meant that this was a subject only fools, mavericks, extremists or political kamikazes talked about. And then came Sir Andrew Green.
"Sir Andrew was a career diplomat, serving as the UK’s ambassador in Syria and then Saudi Arabia. Returning home to Oxfordshire, he has devoted his retirement to revealing the truth about what had happened in his absence: immigration controls had been relaxed – if they ever existed – and the result was the greatest surge of immigration in to the UK since 1066.
"Deploying the best skills of the Foreign Office (forensic examination of the facts and a stubborn but courteous wish to get answers) - and with the aid of a small body of volunteers - he forced Ministers to admit what he and others suspected: no one had a clue who was coming in to the country, and that the concept of “immigration control” was a contradiction in terms. Overcoming the reluctance of the liberal media to report this, his efforts to see immigration debated on the basis of fact, not fiction, has made MigrationWatch UK one of the most successful political campaigns in recent years. Immigration can now be debated without those who question the benefits of large scale immigration being branded “racists”.
"Sir Andrew himself now appears to know more about the workings (and failings) of the immigration system than most civil servants in the Home Office. Nicholas Soames and Frank Field, aided by him are now campaigning for all major parties to commit to balanced migration (when immigration equals emigration) to prevent the UK’s population hitting 70 million by 2028.
"Should David Cameron put Sir Andrew on the red benches so he can reap the benefits of his expertise? It's a no-brainer: if Cameron really wants to get a grip on the immigration system, of course he should. The real question is whether Sir Andrew – whose mastery of politically neutrality has fuelled his success – would accept such an offer."
> Previous nomination: Angela Knight
