Warsi hails U-turn on ‘go home’ vans

The Government Minister with responsibility for religious and racial communities was “glad” Home Secretary Theresa May ditched the use of advertising vans carrying messages telling illegal immigrants to “go home or face arrest”.

By The Newsroom

Published 28th Oct 2013, 00:01 BST

Faith and communities Minister Baroness Warsi, a life peer from Dewsbury, said politicians should “think long and hard” before embarking on any policy which might create confusion between illegal immigrants and members of ethnic minority communities who are entitled to be in the UK.

Mrs May last week announced that the van campaign would not be rolled out nationwide after a pilot in several London boroughs showed it was “too much of a blunt instrument”.

Speaking to Sky News’s Murnaghan, Lady Warsi said: “I don’t think it was a particularly positive experience and I’m glad that we won’t be going back to it.

“I think it’s always important for Government to be clear when they are speaking to their communities that all people who are part of this nation legally are absolutely welcome.”