Amber Rudd boasted of 'ambitious but deliverable' removals target in letter to Theresa May
2 min read
Amber Rudd is facing fresh demands for her to quit after it emerged she told Theresa May she had 'ambitious but deliverable' targets for removing illegal immigants.
The comment, in a letter to the Prime Minister leaked to The Guardian, appeared to contradict her earlier claims that she was unaware of the Home Office having any deportation targets.
Ms Rudd, already under huge pressure over her handling of the Windrush scandal, has repeatedly said that she will not resign.
And in a tweet on Friday night, she said: "I wasn’t aware of removal targets. I accept I should have been and I am sorry that I wasn’t."
But in the letter to Mrs May, written in January last year, the Home Secretary said she had the "aim of increasing the number of enforced removals by more than 10% over the next few years: something I believe is ambitious, but deliverable".
Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said it was time for Ms Rudd "to go".
"The Tories' shameful attempts to cover up their mess must end," she said. "Clearly there were targets, and Amber Rudd was aware of them.
"Theresa May has sent minister after minister out to protect her cruel legacy, misleading Parliament and the public in the process. With each new revelation, we get more of an insight into the Tories’ heartless Home Office policies which have led to the Windrush scandal.
"This chaos has gone on for far too long. It's time for Rudd to go and for the Government to rethink its whole approach."
