Tony Blair accused of conspiracy over mass immigration

[MikeWB]

Tony Blair accused of conspiracy over mass immigration

Tom Bower's new biography of Tony Blair claims the former prime minister paved the way for mass immigration to the UK but ordered civil servants and ministers never to discuss the issue

Tony Blair is accused of 'presiding over a silent conspiracy' that allowed two million migrants to enter Britain during his decade in power.

A new biography of the former prime minister by the celebrated investigative journalist Tom Bower claims Mr Blair ordered his Labour government not to publicly discuss the issue.


The book Broken Vows: Tony Blair - the Tragedy of Power alleges that the minister in charge of border control ruled against deporting failed asylum seekers because it would be too "emotional" to do so.

The book, being serialised in the Daily Mail, is also promising to reveal in the coming days:

    * a 'devastating' dossier on how Mr Blair tricked members of his cabinet into going to war with Iraq

    * details of how he has earned tens of millions of pounds since leaving Downing Street in 2007 through lucrative deals with autocrats around the world

    * 'the truth' about his relationship with Wendi Deng, the ex-wife of the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch

Mr Bower interviewed more than 200 senior civil servants, ex-ministers and insiders and claims Mr Blair told officials and ministers: "Don't mention the advantages of immigration in public because they won't even want that."

The book claims that Mr Blair and his Government 'cynically repackaged' asylum seekers as economic migrants to the benefit of 350,000 asylum seekers.

It alleges that Barbara Roche, the immigration minister between 1999 and 2001, told a senior immigration official: "Asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Britain. Removal takes too long and it's emotional."

According to some estimates as many as 2.3 million migrants came to the UK during new Labour's stranglehold on power from 1997 to 2010.

Published extracts from the new book also claim Mr Blair's wife Cherie was jealous of her husband's adviser Anji Hunter, a friend of Mr Blair's since they were teenagers.

The book claims that Mr and Mrs Blair rowed over Miss Hunter and that Mrs Blair demanded she be fired. Eventually Mr Blair persuaded his wife Miss Hunter be allowed to stay on as part of his Downing Street entourage under the title 'special assistant for presentation and planning'. Mrs Blair subsequently sent Miss Hunter a note, suggesting: "In so far as your job brings you into contact with me, that will be kept to a minimum... I trust this is clear."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/tony-blair/12175813/Tony-Blair-accused-of-conspiracy-over-mass-immigration.html