Boris' new head of policy calls for amnesty for illegal immigrants

Anthony Browne, the outgoing director of Policy Exchange, has written for today's Independent - backing what he admits is a "politically dynamite" case for an amnesty for illegal immigrants.  Mr Browne is about to join the Mayor of London's office, as head of policy.  Boris Johnson himself backed an amnesty during the mayoral race - a position that puts him at odds with David Cameron.

In his piece for The Independent Mr Browne notes estimates that there are 400,000 illegal immigrants in the UK; largely in the south east of England.  There are, he writes, three options to deal with this problem:

1. Mass deportation: Mr Browne dismisses this as very expensive and unrealistic; "No country that sees itself as civilised wants to send immigration officials into schools, yanking distraught children away from their distressed classmates."
2. Accept the status quo: But this prevents a huge number of people from becoming fully participating members of society.
3. An amnesty: Mr Browne believes that this is the best option and will benefit the long-term productivity of the UK economy.  He calls for an "earned amnesty" for those who have been resident in the UK for a short number of years and haven't been found guilty of any criminal offences.

The most common objection to an amnesty is that it will only encourage further illegal immigration.  Spain, for example, has granted six amnesties.  The first amnesty twenty years ago granted residency to 44,000 people.  The most recent and sixth amnesty - in 2005 - involved 700,000 immigrants.  Anthony Browne says this can be avoided by doing much more to protect Britain's borders.

> There is an extended profile of Policy Exchange in The Guardian, including an interview with its new Director, Neil O'Brien.

Comments

[Sammy Finn]

I agree with Boris and Browne on this one.

Of course none of us would want to have started from here but deportation is distasteful and expensive and without regularisation there can be no true integration.

[Malcolm Dunn]

No, no, no! If you're going to argue for an amnesty please give examples of where it has curbed illegal immigration. In my opinion it will only encourage more people to come here in the hope that they too will be granted an amnesty.

[Sally Roberts]

It's probably not that bad an idea, provided that a line is then drawn firmly in the sand and effective border control is implemented!

[Dominic Paul]

In the worst possible financial situation for years with masses of people losing their jobs and the Conservatives riding high in the polls this man brings out this total no brainer.
A few days before the Party conference and this man delivers a googly which the media will have a field day unless Cameron disassociates himself and the party from this madness immediately. And there I was thinking Boris was a star. This stupid statement will be very unpopular with the masses and will be a vote loser. Can we ever go for more than a few months without some idiot giving the general public second thoughts?Consult the the expert Sir Andrew Green who has dispelled many stupid statements with solid facts
Under Labour they completely lost control of immigration, the Home office have lost the equivalent of the entire British army inside their own country (150,000 personnel) - (150,000) failed asylum seekers unaccounted for.
The Labour CLAIM “When we talk about three million more people in work since 1997 - that’s not just a number, that’s a life that’s been changed - three million times over. REALITY Of the 2.7 million or so jobs created over the past decade, up to 1.5 million are low-skilled posts that have gone to immigrants. Between 700,000 and 1 million are public sector jobs - paid for by the rest of us.
Sir Andrew Green’s Migrationwatch who stated that 2.3 M came into the UK up to 2006 and only 8% from the new East European members of the EU. Sir Andrew said ‘The reality is that those who come and stay are almost entirely from countries subject to immigration control. What we need therefore is effective control. Unfortunately, the government’s much vaunted Points Based System is entirely open ended and simply fails to address the deep public concern on this issue.’
Sir Andrew said the net benefit to Britain was negligible.

[Dominic]

Malcom Dunn is correct in Italy it has led to riots and deaths we have enough of our own people on the dole without taking more people in which as Sir Andrew Green has assessed it has been a negligible gain.
In fact in the current financial situation we need all the illegal people removed.

[Faisal]

I believe most people in this country support this move but they are mostly scared of right wing whingers who are in control of public opinion through the Mail and The Sun.

Lyam Byrne will reply to this by the same cliche he has been saying for the last three years.

[Norm Brainer]

The same as labour let the economy unsecured and borrow money from other places they've let the borders unsecured and allowing people in from other places.

Securing the borders now is like placing some controls on the banks now - may help for the future but still have to deal with the problems caused over the past 10 years.

So I agree there probably is 3 options and a little bit of all 3 is needed.
Earned amnesty for those that have been here long enough, committed no crime, can speak english and aren't going to go straight on benefits.
Kick out the others who have committed crime, even if that does involved armed guards (for dramatic effect) going into schools to remove kids.
...and accept there will be some that don't qualify for either amnesty or forced deportation, if the economy gets bad enough they'll leave of their own accord.

BUT secure the borders first!

[RichardJ]

Great way to sabotage the Tory assault next week Mr Browne.

The timing of these people is unbelievable.

[Dominic]

Has Browne written the article in the Independent to scupper the possibility of Conservative Government? It makes my blood boil that this country needs a new Government and Boris’s man scores an own goal of gigantic proportions.
Please Boris if he is associated with you please rein him in until after the next election.

[RichardJ]

"I believe most people in this country support this move but they are mostly scared of right wing whingers who are in control of public opinion through the Mail and The Sun."

So the majority of people want an amnesty but at the same time the opinion of the majority is controlled by the Main and the Sun. You lefties amuse me.

[michael mcgough]

A recession is as good a time as any to uphold the law----if they aren't legal deport them.

[Lindsay Jenkins]

Dominic Paul is right.

Many are attracted here by free housing, education, health and the rest. And as Migration Watch reports the benefits to our economy are negligible if any. So the financial numbers dont stack up.

We now have so many immigrants that it will take 2 or 3 generations to absorb them. Culturally the strains already show with no go areas and huge divisions in society. Add in a recession - well...

In large parts of London indigenous British are in the minority. Take a bus and you wont hear English. To feel 'foreign' in your own country is unpleasant.

The American experience notably with Mexico is that amnesties only encourage more illegal immigration.

Please think again Boris if you really do agree with Anthony Browne.

[Common Sense]

Let's be absolutely clear about WHY both Anthony Browne and Boris Johnson are pushing this insane idea.

Both of them are former journalists who have previously written things on race that proved offensive to liberal opinion. Since moving into the political arena each has been subjected to vicious smears and accusations of racism from the Left.

So what is their response? Not to stand firm and fight back but to attempt to 'prove' to their tormentors that they are not racists by adopting the wildly irresponsible leftist policy of rewarding illegal immigrants by giving them the right to live in the UK.

It is pathetic and melodramatic for Browne to weave an emotive tale of children being dragged out of classrooms. That's an argument against ALL deportations.

The next Conservative government has a choice to make: either it can send a clear signal that sneaking into Britain illegally won't pay by deporting illegal immigrants - or it can run up the white flag and encourage the next wave to start their journey.

Browne, Johnson and their ilk always claim that this would be a one-off amnesty and after that the shutters would come down but their emotive arguments against deportation will be equally applicable to post-amnesty illegal immigrants. Would Browne deport them? If the aswer is 'no' he is revealed as someone who would effectively abandon all immigration controls. If the answer is 'yes' then why not start deportations now?

Johnson is an talented, likeable but unprincipled clown who wants to be adored and travels very light politically while Browne is an essentially weak man who hasn't go the bottle to take responsibility for tough choices. A Tory Party that relies on them is doomed.

[GB£.com]

"In large parts of London indigenous British are in the minority. Take a bus and you wont hear English. To feel 'foreign' in your own country is unpleasant"

That is a bit of a nasty comment.

The issue is illegal immigrants and they should obviously be deported. The fact that London attracts legal immigrants from around the world, leading to a range of languages is not a problem, but something we should champion.

[R.Baker.]

This amnesty idea being raised at this particular moment in time will most definately remove hundreds of thousands of potential Conservative voters from our ranks.
Mark my words,support of an amnesty is a killer,the people have made it clear that they have had enough of immigration of every kind.

[londoner]

I agree with this but Mr. Browne did not agree with himself until a few weeks ago.

Still precious little coherence from City Hall I see. Oh well, what could we expect? After all, it is Boris Johnson "in charge"!

[Labourer]

This is very disappointing news, especially considering that Anthony Browne is the author of the excellent immigration restrictionist work, 'Do We Need Mass Immigration?'. He also helped to set up Migration Watch.

Is this a genuine expression of his own views or as the Mayor's new Head of Policy has he felt pressured into supporting the longstanding liberal stance that Boris takes on immigration?

Despite his intellectual ability, Boris has a decidely unanalytical view of immigration, resorting to emotional arguments in its favour - e.g. if we don't let in the Hong Kong Chinese, it just shows that we don't like Johnny Foreigner (he actually said this almost verbatim in one of his columns!). Never once have I seen him weigh up the full range of pros and cons on the issue. I think as someone with a very privileged life he feels some sense of either guilt or noblesse oblige for those less fortunate than himself, which translates into a sentimental support for more immigration, regardless of its impact upon things such as overcrowding, wage depression, strain on the welfare state, crime, and social cohesion. Maybe he could transfer his patronage to the
English working classes for a change.

As regards the amnesty issue my favoured option would be to pursue the likely employers of illegal immigrants (e.g. the hospitality sector) through an inspection scheme. If they are found to be hiring illegals, issue them with a hefty fine, and possibly a prison sentence. Setting up a scheme of this kind would be less expensive than it sounds, as a few prosecutions would rapidly scare other employers into compliance with the law. Once you've deprived the illegals of their reason for being in the country, they'd leave of their own accord, so deportations aren't really that necessary.

[Common Sense]

No, GB£.com - I did not read that as a racist comment.

It is all a question of numbers. The reason we are being swamped (an appropriate term) is not because of legal migrants but because of the vast numbers of illegal immigrants - the ones Anthony Browne wants to reward rather than deport.

The real victims of a Boris-style amnesty are not just the indigenous people of Britain who are being swamped but also the legal migrants who played by the rules and will be made to feel like mugs for respecting our laws.

[Lindsay Jenkins]

GB£ - to be obviously a minority in your own country - that is in the part where you live - is not a nice feeling. My views about travelling on a bus are widely shared. Too many immigrants have been allowed here to absorb in my life time or the next couple of generations. And that's provided there are no significant newcomers.

[Henry Mayhew - ukipper]

No way. Worker documentation only. 3 year visas.

[Simon Newman]

"Boris Johnson himself backed an amnesty during the mayoral race"

This kind of thing made me hard to summon up enthusiasm for Boris except as compared to Ken.

Deportation of illegals may be distasteful, but it's also the only solution. Of course we need to have far more effective border controls in the first place.

[GB£.com]

"My views about travelling on a bus are widely shared."

Amongst fellow xenophobes I guess.

I'd rather sit amongst polite Poles gabbering away in Polish (just for example), than aggressive 'indigenous' teens.

[Dominic]

GB£.com I agree with every thing Lindsay Jenkins has written to feel foreign in your own country is unpleasant just ask the pensioners that are in areas where they feel threatened because they are a minority and can not afford to move.
We have experienced under Labour uncontrolled mass immigration the likes I thought I would never witness in my lifetime.
If you had a referendum today the majority of the British public would vote for no more immigration unless their was a real demand for more labour.
Ask Sir Andrew Green why do you think so many hospitals are creaking at the seams. Ask him why you have classes of over thirty in the state schools.
Our views are nothing to do with xenophobes and every thing to do with common sense and good management of this once great country that has been ruined by Labour and Guardian readers who seem to have similar views as yours. I loved the Britain I grew up in. Luckily many of the rural areas seem to be insulated against the constant change and the never ending assault of any thing that is British.
Britain is in the gutter that is why a Conservative Government is our only hope if not we will have to exercise that well known slogan “will the last one to leave turn the lights out” and become not financial migrants or health tourists but migrants looking for a better quality of life .

[myenemyphobic]

Only those with the shortest of roots will support this ,which will only encourage yet more illegals to come.I too resent being a foreigner in my own country but more to the point I resent picking up the tab too.Sticks and stones(and bombs)may break my bones but calling me a xenophobe cannot hurt me.

Waltham Forest,225,000 people--one community
(including the terrorist bombing community)

[GB£.com]

Dominic,

I completely agree with your comments on the need for controlled immigration (whilst we have a welfare state that can be taken advantage of), Britain's population density, and I agree that it is essential for those migrating to the UK to learn English.

However, where I completely disagree, is that the country is somehow 'threatened' or less desirable, if, with a controlled equally-applied immigration policy, the majority of our productive residents have a first-language that is not English.

Surely a person's mother tongue is no guide to them making a positive contribution to our country?

But you are being naive to put your hope in the Tories to sort it out, as they have no plans to restrict all the nasty non-English EU member citizens from coming here, do they?

The door is either open or closed, the tory 'ajar' plan (restricted non-EU, unrestricted EU) is a con-trick, as an ajar door, is still an open door.

[HF]

Is Anthony Browne really a Conservative?

I think not. He is also politically niaive.

He presided over that awful report which said it would be "desirable if large numbers of people left "struggling" northern English cities"

[The Rifle]

There's no way I support this.

What's the point of having ANY immigration rules if people who enter illegally are then given an amnesty?

If you give an amnesty once, there will then be one amnesty after another from then on.

I am NOT in the Conservative Party for this kind of policy, no matter how "21st Century" of a policy it is.

[myenemyphobic]

"He presided over that awful report which said it would be "desirable if large numbers of people left "struggling" northern English cities""

Well they couldc take over the jobs of the deportees!

"However, where I completely disagree, is that the country is somehow 'threatened' or less desirable, if, with a controlled equally-applied immigration policy, the majority of our productive residents have a first-language that is not English."

I bet your roots are short GB£ con

[DCMX]

sneaky stuff as well; writing for the Indy in the hope Tories wouldn't notice.

[Helen]

Protecting our borders, eh? For the umpteenth time, we cannot protect our borders until we come out of the EU. Why can't Conservatives stop blathering about nobody being interested in "Europe" and actually having a look at such things as the Tampere agreements and the unrolling plan to create "a single area of law and justice". Who comes into this country is no longer decided in Britain. That may be a good thing or a bad but it is a fact. A little research in CCHQ and in the Great Glass Egg a.k.a. City Hall is in order.

[Dominic]

GB£.COM I will make the point once again to feel foreign in your own country is unpleasant just ask the pensioners that are in areas where they feel threatened because they are a minority and can not afford to move and can not walk the streets without feeling fearful. Why should other people’s way of life and traditions be forced on us? Many commentators including Sir Andrew Green have made the point that the net gain is negligible so why bother.
I do not want to be told by Councils up and down the country you can not celebrate Christmas and hundreds of other PC rules and regulations because we might offend the minority.
And all this nonsense of how enriched we should all feel is Gobbledy Gook.
Sir Andrew Green’s Migrationwatch who stated that 2.3 M came into the UK up to 2006 and only 8% from the new East European members of the EU. Sir Andrew said ‘The reality is that those who come and stay are almost entirely from countries subject to immigration control. What we need therefore is effective control. Unfortunately, the government’s much vaunted Points Based System is entirely open ended and simply fails to address the deep public concern on this issue.’
Unless the Conservatives renegotiate with Europe that is an area that under EU rules the whole of Europe can descend on us.

[Dominic]

GB£.COM I will make the point once again to feel foreign in your own country is unpleasant just ask the pensioners that are in areas where they feel threatened because they are a minority and can not afford to move and can not walk the streets without feeling fearful. Why should other people’s way of life and traditions be forced on us? Many commentators including Sir Andrew Green have made the point that the net gain is negligible so why bother.
I do not want to be told by Councils up and down the country you can not celebrate Christmas and hundreds of other PC rules and regulations because we might offend the minority.
And all this nonsense of how enriched we should all feel is Gobbledy Gook.
Sir Andrew Green’s Migrationwatch who stated that 2.3 M came into the UK up to 2006 and only 8% from the new East European members of the EU. Sir Andrew said ‘The reality is that those who come and stay are almost entirely from countries subject to immigration control. What we need therefore is effective control. Unfortunately, the government’s much vaunted Points Based System is entirely open ended and simply fails to address the deep public concern on this issue.’
Unless the Conservatives renegotiate with Europe that is an area that under EU rules the whole of Europe can descend on us.

[michael mcgough]

" A little research in CCHQ and in the Great Glass Egg a.k.a. City Hall is in order. "

They might then have to face up to some unwelcome unpleasant truths.

[Jules]

This absolute b******s! Even this terrible govt of ours wouldn't consider an amnesty.
There are more than 1m illegal immigrants in this country, who do not contribute a penny in taxation but add to the crime figures. 3 of our police officers have been murdered by illegal immigrants since 1997. The Albanian gangsters run Soho - what the hell are they doing here? Turkish criminals run the heroin into the UK - Turkey is not in the EU, yet! Police forces are having to spend millions on interpreters.
We need to adopt some of Germany's policies (notwithstanding that Germany is the biggest country in the EU and has borders with 9 different countries, we only have water!) e.g. have freephone numbers to report illegals. John Howard in Oz won a 4th term on a tough immigration policy. We must ban all foreigners with criminal records entry into the UK, as they do in the US.
We are known to be a soft touch, thus the huge number of illegals here. Labour put down the drawbridge and they have come en masse since 1997.
24/7 deportations of illegals and foreign prisioners, will win the Tories votes from both left and right as the last 11 years has seen the biggest influx of immigrants to our shores.
The police need to have more powers to arrest illegals as the border police do not have sufficient numbers to do so.
Immigration will be an important issue at the next election, Dave should give Michael Howard (in the Lords) the brief to sort out the mess.
An Amnesty will only encourage millions more to come here and wait for the next bloody amnesty to legalise their immigration status.

[Cllr Alexa Michael]

An amnesty is a stupid idea - it is effectively saying that if you can get into Britain illegally, you can stay. It will encourage future waves of illegal mass immigration. What is the point of having immigration control at all if illegal immigrants are allowed to remain?

If you want to put people in the Conservative suburbs of outer London (and elsewhere)off voting Conservative, you could not have made a worse suggestion. I hope Boris throws this one out.

[Helen]

Just to add to my comment above, here is an item on the BBC News website. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7635730.stm

So you think you can control those borders?

[Martin Wright]

Some excellent contributions starting with Dominic Paul at 8.30.

Part of Mr Browne’s premise is that deportation, particularly if children are involved, looks harsh and is unpalatable. But an immigration policy, just as a law and order policy, needs detection and deterrence. We deliberately have courts and prisons not only to punish but also to deter crime. So it should be with illegal immigration. An immigration policy will only work if those who arrive illegally are deported and seen to be deported. This is important for several reasons: to inspire confidence in the system among legal residents, to foster good community relations in multicultural areas and to deter non-residents thinking of coming illegally. So that means that we should be prepared to stomach, for the greater long-term good, occasional “hard luck” stories about deportations. One of many problems with Labour is that it won’t even enforce its own laws and regulations. One example I recall was the case of a player at Watford Football Club who was due to be deported. Naturally supporters were sorry at the prospect of losing a good player, so in the face of a wave of sentimental publicity, the Home Office caved in, even though its legal case for deportation was sound. Do they ever deport any one once their hard luck story hits the papers? I doubt it. But it is only if the Home Office is prepared to tough it out and deport that there is any hope of deterring more illegal immigration.

Is a programme of deportation so unrealistic? I don’t think so. Clearly we would have to abolish the HRA and withdraw from the European convention and return to common law protection of the individuals affected. Money would have to be invested in much higher staffing and a whole change of attitude at senior levels would be needed – I understand the rank and file get very frustrated at their weak willed bosses. Given adequate funding, a sensible “one bite of the cherry only” appeal system and adequate willpower, substantial numbers could be deported and once a pattern of tough but fair treatment was established, many illegal immigrants would move on elsewhere to easier pickings.

Labourer’s post at 9.52 makes a very good point about policing employers. A recent story about traffic wardens in Lambeth illustrates the point. The new employer (NCP I believe) required all wardens to produce evidence of legal residence status. A high proportion immediately resigned or just did not turn up for work. If it becomes increasingly difficult for illegal immigrants to find work, their numbers will reduce as they move on to countries that are a softer touch.

As others have said, I find Mr Browne’s stance surprising. In the past he seemed to be a scourge of political correctness, multiculturalism etc.; now he is pandering to the Independent and the Guardian. Message to Boris: This is not what we voted you in for. If you carry on like this there are likely to be some nasty election results in London.

Finally a question. Given that Boris threw out one new adviser (unfairly) for alleged racism, could he now throw out yet another new adviser for virtually the opposite offence: excessive multiculturalism?

[VoiceofDoom]

Amnesties stink - they just encourage criminality and punish the law-abiding. They were started by that arch-idiot Woy Jenkins. All illegals should be deported; all immigrants in receipt of benefits or not in legal employment should be deported; all immigrants convicted of crimes should be deported. This is just the urban, home counties middle-class cringing under the kitchen table and hoping that the problem will go away. It won't, it needs to be confronted, now.

[outer borough tory]

"If you want to put people in the Conservative suburbs of outer London (and elsewhere)off voting Conservative, you could not have made a worse suggestion. I hope Boris throws this one out."

Er, hello? He suggested this one himself:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3695048.ece

[Colin Smith]

Great idea, let's have an amnesty and encourage another wave of illegals to come steaming in behind in anticipation of the surrender after next.

Why not walk away from Schengen at the same time (or is that part of the plan?)

Never mind the shortage of police, houses, schools, road space, water, doctors, dentists or hospitals, just throw open the doors.

Where do we get these bloody idiots from ?

[passing leftie]

GB£ - to be obviously a minority in your own country - that is in the part where you live - is not a nice feeling. My views about travelling on a bus are widely shared. Too many immigrants have been allowed here to absorb in my life time or the next couple of generations. And that's provided there are no significant newcomers.

Posted by: Lindsay Jenkins | September 26, 2008 at 09:55

There is certainly a problem here, but it's yours. If you are sitting there stewing because people are speaking differently or look different to you, then you should consider the following: integration is a two-way street. Why don't you talk to some of these "foreign-sounding" people instead of wishing them away?

[VoiceofDoom]

Passing leftie - "Integration is a two way street". No it isn't. We do not have a duty to integrate immigrants. They have a duty to integrate into our way of life, speak our language and follow our customs. They chose to come here for whatever reason, we did not invite them. It is up to them to convince us that they are a useful addition to our society.

Why do lefties hate their own country and their own people so much. What have we ever done to inspire your contempt and loathing? Not allowed you to patronise us and boss us around, I suppose. Or is it that you just want a supply of cheap nannies and plumbers.

[Paul Johnston]

Illegal immigration is just that - illegal. An amnesty condones a past illegal act. We are the party of the Rule of Law, therefore we cannot condone it. Period!

[Libertarian]

Mr Browne claims that an amnesty is a free market solution. It is not. As Milton Friedman pointed out, free migration is incompatible with the welfare state.

The illegal immigrants would be able to claim welfare benefits after the change in status. He admits that the number of illegals is unclear - 400k to a million. The welfare bill could be massive, an issue that Browne ignores in his article.

If this is an example of the sloppy thinking that we can expect from Boris's Policy Exchange cronies, God help London and Londoners.

[Joe James B]

I'm not sure why we're still using Policy Exchange after their report about moving people out of the north.
These policy wonks need to do a proper job.

[organisation man]

Wait a minute! This was the guy that was against more immigration before. What is this Policy Exchange place?

Oh wait a minute maybe he got told to write it. But that doesn't sound right either. I mean, no one ever excused City Hall under Boris of being organised, did they?

[Onemarcus]

No no and no again what rubbish these illegal immigrants have come here through several countries, why becuase we are a soft touch.

A few weeks ago driving to calais 3 Arab looking men risked life and limb by running across the motorway in front of me, to hide in the woods, by now they wil be here. Why would they want to stay in France they don't get given housing by the French or benefits as soon as they arrive unlike here. No where allows Poles in their country to claim child benefit for their kids in Poland.

You can make the borders as secure as you like people will still come because we are a soft touch. I don't blame them for coming I'd want to come here if I was them.

This is not racism this is comon sense we cannot take anymore people we apparently have a housing shortage there is a limit and we have met it now.

The day we as a party start to offer an amnesty is the day I tear up my membership card!

[eh?]

So you voted for Boris Johnson, who said this before the Mayoral election then?

[Martin Wright]

I see that at the same time that Anthony Browne is pandering to the Hampstead set on immigration in the Independent, he is playing more right wing tunes in the Telegraph, claiming that benefits and Human Rights are making Britons lazy and dependent.

I'm not sure how he reconciles the two standpoints. I'm just contemplating a future scene as a million illegal immigrants with their amnesty freshly printed rush forward to claim their benefits and human rights quicker than you can say Keith Vaz. Surely some mistake , Ed?

[anthony scholefield]

Senator McCain a noted friend of mass immigration has said frequently that before anything is done on immigration policythe estimated 2 million illegals who have committed crimes in the US must be deported immediately.This has never been challenged by the media at all.
The cost of providing capital to live in Britain in the shape of roads schools power stations and a host of other things for each illegal is about £150,000 per head so that's another £60 billion to be found for our enrichment.
As we are discussing London a quick check estimates that £30,000 for each resident family plus of course ongoing fiscal costs of a mammoth amount.
Sad really

[anthony scholefield]

Senator McCain a noted friend of mass immigration has said frequently that before anything is done on immigration policythe estimated 2 million illegals who have committed crimes in the US must be deported immediately.This has never been challenged by the media at all.
The cost of providing capital to live in Britain in the shape of roads schools power stations and a host of other things for each illegal is about £150,000 per head so that's another £60 billion to be found for our enrichment.
As we are discussing London a quick check estimates that is £30,000 for each resident family plus of course ongoing fiscal costs of a mammoth amount.
Sad really that these people cant count and dont think.

[Julian Melford]

Get real, GB£. Yes, there are some decent Poles, but there are also quite a few yob types who walk round swigging cans of lager, and urinate in people's gardens. North Yorkshire also broke down road accident statistics and attributed a full 15% to East Europeans. Many of them do not share our traditional customs, including sobriety as well as manners.

Apart from encouraging further illegal immigration, an amnesty would then give entitlement to benefits, including potentially priority in housing. This will not go down well with council tax payers and those on already stretched housing lists.

[L Elias]

We might as well open the prisons and give inmates an amnesty.
Boris has lost the plot. His job is to run London, not delegate writing Conservative policy to people without a mandate from the ballot box.
The possibility of being deported is an effective incentive for illegals to behave themselves.
There is the law of unexpected consequences!

[Melanie King]

No one wants to have to give an amnesty, but it is the best of a bad world. The analysis is correct.

Deport over half a million people already here (mostly for years), how? Wake up and live in the real world it is NOT going to happen.

Let things go on as they are, but its already unacceptable, and that is satisfactory to no one.

There should be an earned amnesty, all existing immigrants should pay a regisration fee (say 200 pounds), and agree to pay double national insurance during their qualification from probationary citizen 5 years (cuttable to 3 years by community work). Those with custodial criminal records would be exiled for life and those associating with them jeopardising their citizenship so they would move away from such criminal types. As well as the higher NI there would also of course be usual taxes.

But the UK must be controlled. We must then actually know who is here precisely and then control numbers. At the moment it is a farce and measures to control are doomed. Go on believing otherwise if you like, but its refuseniks like you who actually exacerbate the problem, not help it. All UK citizens by that 5 years time, immigrants or no, should have ID cards, and the borders must have much greater policing, so this situation can never happen again. There must not be two amnesties.