Nick Clegg blasts Home Office for 'go home' illegal immigration billboards
DEPUTY Prime Minister Nick Clegg has blasted the Home Office for using billboard vans to tell illegal immigrants to 'go home' during a radio interview today.
The Liberal Democrat leader insisted his party were not aware of the plans prior to its introduction and said he was 'very surprised' by the pilot scheme.
The plans from Tory Immigration Minister Mark Harper have seen vehicles traveling around parts of London warning illegal immigrants they face arrest.
Mr Clegg said the scheme was not a 'clever way of dealing with the issue' and challenged Conservative Mr Harper over the scheme.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mr Clegg said: "I think people should play by the rules and play by the law. I want to see us make sure that the public have confidence in the immigration system, that it works properly.
"I don't happen to think that having a couple of vans driving around North London is the way of actually inspiring public confidence that we have an immigration system that is working properly.
"What I want to see the Home Office concentrate on instead is making sure that we have a simple system, that's done in many other countries, where you count people in and you count people out."
Mr Clegg went onto say that he spoke to the Immigration Minister, who he described as a 'very good guy', about his feelings on the billboards.
The Deputy PM said the Coalition Government should focus on reinstating exit checks instead of the billboard campaign to deter immigrants.
The Business Secretary Vince Cable was more scathing in his comments, blasting the scheme as 'stupid and offensive'.
Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr show on Sunday, Mr Cable said: "We are not a totalitarian state. We don't count every single person but actually it's quite difficult being an illegal immigrant in Britain.
"You can't work, certainly legally, you can't have access to benefits. So, the idea that there's some vast, hidden army of people, is almost certainly completely wrong."
A Downing Street spokesman said the billboards, which feature the message 'In the UK illegally? GO HOME OR FACE ARREST', are already working.
However, a Home Office spokesman said the impact of the vans could only be assessed after the poster and leaflet campaigns which is due to continue for three more weeks.
Mr Clegg said he would need 'overwhelming evidence' to be persuaded that the immigration billboards were a good idea.
He said: "Unless there is overwhelming evidence that this is a really effective way of bolstering public confidence in the immigration system and bearing down on illegal behaviour in the immigration system, I'm going to need a lot of persuasion.
"What are we going to have next? Home Office vans driving around saying 'please don't shoplift' or 'please don't steal this car'?"
The immigration billboards finished their advertising patrols on Sunday.