Jeremy Corbyn tells Amber Rudd to resign for 'hardening cruel' Windrush policy
The Labour leader says it is time Home Secretary Amber Rudd "took responsibility and resigned" over the Windrush scandal.
Wednesday 25 April 2018 14:31, UK
Jeremy Corbyn has repeated calls for Amber Rudd to resign over the Windrush scandal, saying she "hardened" a "cruel and misdirected" policy.
He accused the Home Secretary of inheriting a "failing" plan from her predecessor, Theresa May, and "making it worse".
The clash came at Prime Minister's Questions, where Mrs May gave a staunch defence of her work on immigration over the last seven years.
Mr Corbyn repeated Ms Rudd's apology from last week back to the Commons on Wednesday, reminding MPs she had said the Home Office "sometimes loses sight of the individual".
The Labour leader said: "We now know that when she took over from her predecessor, her intent was to harden this cruel and misdirected policy, pledging to do so ruthlessly.
"A report last month by immigration officials stated the hostile environment measures were not even having the desired effect.
"The current Home Secretary inherited a failing policy and made it worse.
"Isn't it time she took responsibility and resigned?"
A visibly irritated Ms Rudd heckled Mr Corbyn as he attacked her.
Mrs May responded by laughing at the seeming confusion about who was being called on to step down.
After uproar from MPs, she said that people "up and down this country" want action taken against illegal immigrants.
The Prime Minister told the House: "It isn't fair that people who work hard day in and day out who contribute to this country, who put into the life of this country, are seeing people who are here illegally accessing services in the same way.
"We are acting to ensure that those people who are here legally are given the support that they need.
"We welcomed the Windrush generation many years ago. They are British - they are part of us, and we are ensuring that they remain here and are able to continue to live their lives here."
The showdown comes after the Foreign Secretary reportedly called for an amnesty on illegal immigrants who have been in Britain for more than 10 years.
Boris Johnson presented the idea at Cabinet on Tuesday for those who are "squeaky clean" and do not have criminal records, according to The Telegraph.
Ms Rudd will face questions from the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee later on Wednesday.
In advance, the committee published a letter from Ms Rudd that it said did "not provide a full response" to 23 questions on the Windrush scandal.