UNDER pressure Home Secretary Charles Clarke has announced plans to toughen the law on the deportation of foreign nationals.The Norwich South MP said these were “significant proposals” which the Home Office had been “preparing for some months.

By Graham Dines

UNDER pressure Home Secretary Charles Clarke has announced plans to toughen the law on the deportation of foreign nationals.

The Norwich South MP said these were “significant proposals” which the Home Office had been “preparing for some months.”

With Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs demanding his resignation over the fiasco of convicted overseas nationals being released into the community instead of being deported, Mr Clarke appealed to Tories and Lib Dems to give their support.

“This has been an unedifying episode for all of us in the Home Office who are charged with the protection of the public. But I said I would stay and put the situation right.”

The Home Secretary promised a consultative paper this month with specific and detailed proposals' for reform of the system.

“Where deportation can properly be considered, the clear presumption should be that deportation will follow unless there are special circumstances why it cannot.”

The subject dominated the earlier exchanges in Prime Minister's Questions, during which Tory leader David Cameron and Liberal Democrat Sir Menzies Campbell both demanding that Mr Clarke should go.

The Prime Minister said it was right”' for Mr Clarke to remain in his post to sort out a system which “has not worked properly for decades.”