British minister Rudd resists calls to quit

london — Britain’s interior minister Amber Rudd resisted calls to quit on Friday, apologising for not being aware of the use of deportation targets in her department and vowing to implement fair and humane immigration policy.

Following accusations that she had misled parliament over whether her department had targets for the removal of immigrants, Rudd said on Twitter: “I wasn’t aware of specific removal targets. I accept I should have been and I’m sorry that I wasn’t.”

Rudd has been under pressure to quit for more than a week. First after a scandal about Britain’s treatment of legal Caribbean migrants, and then over contradictory statements about whether her department did or did not have targets on the removal of immigrants.

The political controversy surrounding one of Prime Minister Theresa May’s closest allies coincides with Britain entering crucial negotiations on a future trade deal with the European Union and amid rising domestic tension over Brexit policy.

Rudd said she would make a statement to parliament on Monday “in response to legitimate questions that have arisen on targets and illegal migration.”—