...but that’s not what he’s said before

Labour’s former Home Secretary has previously talked tough on immigration...

24 April 2002: David Blunkett said asylum seekers’ children should be educated separately while their applications are processed, and sparked outrage by using the word ‘swamped’.

27 October 2015: In an article for the Daily Mail, he defended the Defence Secretary, Michael Fallon, for saying some towns were feeling overwhelmed by migrants. He also wrote: ‘As a result of a substantial recent influx of incom- ers from Eastern Europe, there has been a host of difficulties, such as a lack of interpretation services, exploitation of migrants by rogue landlords, the stress on normal waste collection because of multiple occupation of terrace housing and the gathering of large groups in the streets.’

12 November 2013: In a BBC interview, he said the Roma community had to make more of an effort to fit in with British culture ‘because there’s going to be an explosion otherwise’. He added: ‘We’ve got to be tough and robust in saying you are not in a downtrodden village or woodland, because many don’t live in areas where there are toilets or refuse collection facilities.... you’ve got to adhere to our standards, and to our way of behaving.’

24 March 2015: Writing for the Guardian, Lord Blunkett said: ‘Were I to have my time again, I would have pressed even harder to ensure host communities were protected as far as possible from a large influx. Where very large numbers of people arrive... there are bound to be problems.’