Blob hits back branding plan ‘unspeakably cruel’

A FORMER Home Office mandarin has called the Government’s asylum plans ‘unspeakably cruel’.

David Normington, who was permanent secretary from 2006 until 2010, said the measures were more about ‘grabbing headlines’ than tackling the Channel crisis.

His intervention comes amid growing concern over attacks on the asylum plan from the so- called ‘Blob’, comprising civil servants and other agitators.

The Illegal Migration Bill has ‘little chance of success’, Sir David wrote in a letter to The Times.

‘Unless this Bill acts as a deterrent (which seems unlikely), I fear the prospect is for more arrivals, evergrowing backlogs, crowded detention centres, endless legal challenges and further damage to our international reputation – not to mention unspeakable cruelty to those people who are genuinely looking to the UK as a place of refuge from oppression and persecution,’ he said.

‘In my day in government that would have been more than enough to stop a policy.

‘Hence I can only conclude that this is more about grabbing headlines and talking tough than it is about stopping the boats.’

The Mail reported yesterday that civil servants lodged a flood of complaints about asylum policy.

One worker said in an internal online session that they were ‘embarrassed and ashamed’ of the measures.