All of the attention has been on what they have not done and there has been no attention whatsoever to the damage they have done to vulnerable members of society who are suffering alienation, physical deprivation and destitution in addition to the psychological damage caused by the pressure put on people threatened with deportation.

What is it about the offices of Home Secretary and Minister for Immigration that, whoever is appointed they become impervious to the suffering of people from other countries who have escaped to the UK because of persecution by the state or civil conflict? Each New Labour Home Secretary and Minister for Immigration has made it harder for people seeking asylum to reach the UK and even harder for them to live in dignity whilst pursuing their claims.

John Reid has replaced Charles Clarke, Liam Byrne has replaced Tony McNulty and someone else in turn will replace both, and they will all presume to use people seeking asylum and migrants without status as scapegoats for societys' problems. And so long as Home Secretaries and Ministers for Immigration attempt to remove people forcibly from Britain, NCADC will continue to defend and support them.