The Law Is 'Avin A Laugh – But The Joke Is On Britain

Europe's stand on human rights is too often a kick in the gut for the victims of crime.












Justice for all? Philip Lawrence (left) and his killer, Learco Chindamo.

'They drive me mad, too.” That’s what the Prime Minister told me in a more innocent time, before the riots. Back in April, I was sitting in Number 10, reading him a list of the human rights abuses that drive the public to despair. I don’t mean abuses under the Human Rights Act 1998. I mean abuses of the rights of humans whose children have been mown down by foreign drivers with no licence, humans whose husbands have been stabbed to death. Humans still astounded by grief who have to attend a British court and hear a judge tell them that the conscienceless wretch who extinguished their happiness cannot be deported post haste or hurled, preferably, over the white cliffs of Dover. No, the wretch must be allowed to remain in our country because they have the right to “a family life”.

I keep a shoebox stuffed with newspaper cuttings about such cases. They bring to mind the Ricky Gervais catchphrase, “Are you ’avin a laugh?” On Saturday, I added another surreal snippet to the pile. The Court of Appeal in its wisdom had just torn up powers that allowed judges to ban convicted paedophiles from unfettered access to their children. Apparently, the paedophile’s right to a family life must be taken into account, even if the kids in question fear Dad’s tread at the bedroom door. Are their honours ’avin a laugh?

Our judges’ ever-widening definition of what constitutes “family life” almost dislocated my jaw recently when a Bolivian immigrant escaped deportation because he owned a pet cat with his girlfriend. We cannot know the name of the moggy, let alone the Bolivian, but Judge Judith Gleeson joked that the cat “need no longer fear having to adapt to Bolivian mice”. Was she ’avin a laugh?

Here’s another. In a landmark ruling, Strasbourg judges decided that two Somali men, who had abused our hospitality by robbery, drug dealing and threats to kill, could not be deported because there was a possibility they might face “ill treatment” at home. Remember the case of Mustafa Jama who was was convicted for his part, along with two other Somalians, in the murder of WPC Sharon Beshenivsky in November 2005? Jama, who had previous convictions for robbery and burglary, had been considered for deportation shortly before that tragic shooting, but officials decided it was “too dangerous” for him to return to Somalia. After the cold-blooded killing of Sharon – mother to Samuel, Lydia and Paul – in a Bradford travel agency, Jama evaded capture for four years by fleeing to… guess where? Yup, Somalia. The very place his lawyers had claimed it was unsafe for him to return to. Were they ’avin a laugh? Sharon’s widower, Paul, certainly wasn’t. He said his wife would never have been murdered if “do-gooders” hadn’t kept her killer in Britain.

Why are we powerless to send these frightening, violent individuals back to where they came from? Because, according to the European Court, it’s too frightening and violent. Anything I’m missing here, chaps? Are our learned friends in Strasbourg ’avin a laugh? If so, there is no longer a shred of doubt that the joke is on the British people. A nation that carried the torch of liberty with Magna Carta, parliamentary sovereignty, judicial independence, Press freedom, habeas corpus and trial by jury needs no lessons in justice from its pious neighbours, who loaded Jews, gipsies and homosexuals into cattle trucks. The waffly preamble to the European Convention on Human Rights speaks of “countries which have a common heritage of political traditions, ideas, freedom and the rule of law”. Well, we don’t have a common heritage or laws. As the distinguished QC Geoffrey Robertson has pointed out, torture was a prescribed part of the Continental legal process for centuries after it was abolished in England in 1641. It was Great Britain, not Europe, that taught the world how to right human wrongs.

The riots have made scrapping the Human Rights Act more urgent. More than 150 people born abroad have been arrested so far. Immigration minister Damian Green said: “We strongly believe that foreign national lawbreakers should be removed from the UK at the earliest opportunity.” Good luck with that, Damian. You do realise the poor darlings can’t possibly leave the country, don’t you? They’ve got pussy cats to look after and drug addicts to supply.

While judges increasingly warp Article 8 of the Convention in favour of villains, why do they never seem to consider the right to a family life of people like Frances Lawrence and the four children she had with headmaster Philip? In 2007, the Home Office failed to secure the deportation of Learco Chindamo, Mr Lawrence’s murderer. An Asylum and Immigration Tribunal insisted that to deport the Italian-Filipino would breach his human rights. Like Paul Beshenivsky, Frances Lawrence was aghast to discover that the needs of her spouse’s killer outweighed those of her bereft family.

Chindamo, who was cleared in court yesterday of a street robbery, is a cocky youth who, like so many, had been emboldened by the knowledge that wrongs, however grievous, will never prevent him having human rights on his side. He is one of thousands of foreign-born criminals who have humiliated the Home Office and who have shown with brutal clarity that the law of the land is not ours, for what Briton in their right mind would put the domestic comfort of a murderer before the safety of their fellow citizens?

This is what Cameron was getting at in his forceful speech following the riots. He noted how the “greed and thuggery” could not be separated from the “growing sense that individual rights come before anything else… I am determined we get a grip on the twisting and misrepresenting of human rights.”

Three cheers for those noble words, Prime Minister, but what the hell are you going to DO about it? In Opposition, Cameron pledged to scrap the Human Rights Act “so we can throw foreign terrorists and criminals out of our country”. When I asked him about it in April, he looked exasperated. “Obviously, this is something which is more difficult in Coalition. I won’t hide that from you. The Liberal Democrats have a different view on the Human Rights Act.” He assured me the Government was setting up a commission to look into a British Bill of Rights. What he omitted to tell me was that Nick Clegg would be in charge of it. I’m sorry, but allowing the Deputy Prime Minister to head a body to scrap the Human Rights Act is like appointing a vegan to the Texas Beef Council.

Tensions in the Coalition are said to be running high with senior Lib Dems warning the PM not to “water down” Britain’s commitment to human rights. Good. Let battle commence. Some things are worth fighting for. As a sop to his Coalition partners, Cameron permitted a referendum on the AV voting system, a notion commanding such widespread support that only Eddie Izzard and five blind jugglers in Camden voted for it. So why can’t we have a referendum on something the public feels passionate about? Like a British Bill of Rights.

The PM could do himself and the country a power of good by jettisoning a law that makes a mockery of the very justice it is intended to dispense. To stiffen his resolve, here are some sage words from a predecessor in Number 10. “We are with Europe but not of it; we are linked but not compromised. We are associated but not absorbed. If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea.”

Winston Churchill’s words are as relevant as they were on May 11, 1953. The time for Strasbourg ’avin a laugh at our expense must end. The case for a British Bill of Rights is overwhelming. Human rights can be wrongs.

When forgiveness goes a step too far

All together now, “Serm taymes it’s hurd to bay a wurman.” Tammy Wynette’s ballad of female loyalty, Stand By Your Man, was much mocked by feminists. Some thought Tammy was really singing, “Stabbed By Your Man” or the equally catchy “Let Me Be Your Doormat, You Cheating Bastard.” Wynette pointed out that the song was not actually about subservience, but rather advice to women to overlook their husband’s faults if they truly loved them. “Aftur ol, he’s jusst ur may-an.”

I have come to see the wisdom in Tammy’s approach. Forgiveness is good. Even so, the nauseating sight of French heiress and journalist Anne Sinclair standing by her man, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, sets a new low. The former IMF chief may have been acquitted of attempted rape against a hotel maid, but is there anyone who can look at that swaggering silverback primate without a shudder? Ugh.

In the unlovely phrase of Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, the encounter with Nafissatou Diallo was “brief but consensual”. Whatever the truth, we can be sure that the man who planned to be France’s president rampaged out of the hotel bathroom with only a droit de seigneur to cover his Tour Eiffel. Applying the indulgent term “Lothario” or “libertarian lover” to a priapic bully won’t do any more.

Anne Sinclair is badly out of step with her fellow countrywomen. France is unlikely ever to be the same again post-DSK. There has been a big increase in reports of sexual harassment. Sylvie Kauffmann, the first female editor of Le Monde, says: “There is a tendency among men to pretend that nothing has happened. In the establishment mind, this issue is not very important. But I would bet that the average voter may feel differently.”

Let’s hope Frenchwomen treat DSK’s political ambitions with all the tender concern he showed the hotel maid. And shame on his indulgent wife. If Tracey Emin needed a tent to contain the names of all the people she had slept with, DSK needs a marquee.

UK Riots: Young Yobs Back On Streets Despite David Cameron's Pledge

Young offenders who took part in the rioting and looting that blighted Britain’s streets this week are walking free from court without facing significant penalties.













The 12-year-old boy caught on camera stealing a bottle of wine from a Manchester Sainsbury's (left) hides his face as he leaves court last week.












11 year girl old rioter emerges from Nottingham Magistrates Court.












A 17-year-old girl from Croydon (pixelated, right) is accused taking two televisions from her local Richer Sounds hi-fi shop.












Riot suspect Chelsea Ives, who is an Olympics ambassador and met Sebastian Coe and visited the House of Commons.












Miss Leigh is arrested after she was filmed looting JD Sports in Tottenham.












11 year old boy and 22 year old Jason White (right) leave Highbury Magistrates Court after appearing on looting charges.


Despite David Cameron's promises that they would face "punishment", a string of juvenile criminals have been allowed to return home with their parents.

Several of the young rioters have been pictured in national newspapers committing crimes. Nonetheless, they retain the court's protection of legal anonymity.

The sentences being handed down have dismayed police and MPs after the Prime Minister's promise that rioters would "pay for what they have done".

Further undermining Mr Cameron's tough rhetoric, Kenneth Clarke, the Justice Secretary, backed the courts. He rejected the Prime Minister's call for new sentencing rules.

According to the Metropolitan Police, about half of the 240 people to appear in court so far charged with being involved in the London riots are younger than 18. The Met has arrested 1,009 people in connection with the disorder and 464 have been charged.

Mr Cameron this week promised offenders would not escape punishment because of their age, but several cases yesterday increased concerns that young rioters were not being held to account.

In separate cases in Manchester, two 12–year–old boys walked away from court after being involved in looting. One admitted stealing a £7.49 bottle of wine from a Sainsbury's store and was given a ninemonth referral order.

In court, the youngster appeared ashamed of his actions. But after the hearing, he and his mother swore at reporters.

The other Manchester boy was handed a four–month referral order after admitting using threatening words and behaviour. Several other youths also walked from Manchester city magistrates' court. A 16–year–old boy admitted handling £120 worth of stolen goods and was given a 10–month referral order and ordered to pay prosecutor costs of £120.

A 15–year–old girl was also given a 10–month referral order for stealing alcohol from a Tesco store after admitting burglary. And a 17–yearold was given 18 hours of community service after admitting possessing cannabis.

Mr Cameron has made repeated attempts to dismiss worries about sentencing, promising a hardline approach to rioters. Earlier this week, he warned that even the youngest offenders would face heavy penalties. "If you're old enough to commit the crime, you are old enough to face the punishment," he said. Ministers have spoken of removing benefits and council housing from those convicted of rioting or looting.

In Nottingham yesterday, an 11–year–old girl, who only left primary school last month, smirked and refused to apologise when put before a judge.

She admitted causing criminal damage on Tuesday by smashing shop windows. A judge gave her a nine–month referral order because of her age.

Referral orders are for those under the age of 18 and are a mixture of community work and intervention programmes to help rehabilitation or alter behaviour.

In London, an aspiring dance teacher was filmed as she took a flatscreen television from a looted store, then went back for a second.

The 17 year–old was part of a female gang that allegedly forced its way into the Croydon branch of Richer Sounds. She turned herself in after her picture appeared in the newspapers but retains her anonymity for legal reasons. She was remanded at Westminster magistrates' court to appear at a later date.

James Clappison, a Conservative member of the home affairs committee, said he was "very concerned" about young rioters' light sentences.

"The courts are failing to hand down sufficiently tough sentences," he said. "We need deterrent sentences, but we are not seeing that. Magistrates need to think again."

Police chiefs also expressed concern at soft sentences.

David Attoh, 18, this week admitted stealing two designer T–shirts in Hackney, east London. A magistrate told him that the two days he had spent in a cell awaiting his hearing was adequate punishment and freed him.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh of the Metropolitan Police said officers who had tackled rioters were dismayed by such sentences.

"Some of us have been disappointed by some of the early sentences we have seen, especially those officers who have been on the front line facing the violence and disorder," he said.

Mr Kavanagh said Tim Godwin, the acting Met Commissioner, had raised concerns about sentencing with ministers. MPs were yesterday recalled from their summer break to debate the riots and Tory backbenchers pressed Mr Cameron to make good on his promises.

Angie Bray, whose Ealing Central constituency saw serious violence, challenged Mr Cameron: "Can he assure my constituents that those who are found guilty will feel the full force of the law, including prison sentences?"

Mr Cameron replied: "People taking part in violent disorder should expect to go to prison."

He also suggested that sentencing rules could be toughened. "We are keeping under constant review whether the courts have the sentencing powers they need and we'll act if necessary," he told MPs.

Government sources said options for change include increasing magistrates' powers to jail offenders. Under current rules, magistrates can jail offenders for a maximum of six months. That could double to a year, sources said.

However, even as Mr Cameron was speaking, Mr Clarke appeared to rule out any change on sentencing. In a BBC Radio Four interview, Mr Clarke said "enough" prison sentences were being imposed.

He said: "The system is working."


David Cameron has promised to confront the “moral collapse” in British society that led to last week’s riots. "We will fight back against gangs, crime and the thugs who make people's lives hell and we will fight back hard, he said. "There is no 'them' and 'us' - there is us. We are all in this together, and we will mend our broken society - together."

England Riots: David Cameron Returns To Rhetoric Of 'Broken Society'

Prime Minister David Cameron announces his "social fightback" with a series of cliches he has been working on for years.



Speaking at a youth centre in Witney, his Oxfordshire constituency, the Prime Minister repeatly referred to "social fightback" and mending Britain's "broken society" as he struggled to get a hold on one of the biggest crises of his premiership.

"The broken society is back at the top of my political agenda," the Prime Minister said in the speech in which he outlined measures to prevent a repeat of the country's worst riots in decades.

The Government is already under fire for its determination to press ahead with police budget cuts and its decision to recruit US ''Supercop'' William Bratton as an adviser on tackling gang culture in the UK.

In an escalating war of words with the police, one chief constable warned that David Cameron risks losing the support of the police. Three other police chiefs have also openly questioned the Prime Minister’s approach to law and order.

Killed For Refusing To Let Her Girl Wed

Turk boyfriend butchers British mum and her pal.

Two Brit women were slaughtered by a Turkish waiter - after one refused to let him marry her daughter, it emerged last night.

















Sweethearts ... Recep Celik with teen Shannon Graham.

Holidaymakers Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore, both in their 50s, were taken to a forest where the maniac stabbed them and slit their throats.

Marion's daughter Shannon, 15 - with whom he had been having a relationship - raised the alarm after the pair vanished from the family's holiday home in the popular Turkish resort of Kusadasi.












Horror ... cops move body.

Local waiter Recep Celik, 17, led police to the butchered bodies after confessing to killing the women. He said Marion had told him her daughter was too young to wed.

Both victims were from Newry in Northern Ireland.

They were travelling on Irish passports - and last night traumatised Shannon was being cared for by an Irish Embassy official.

Shannon had gone on a boat trip when the waiter offered to take the women on a jaunt to meet his dad.











Victims ... Kathy Dinsmore, left, and Marion Graham.

He used his dad's car to drive them 75 miles to a forest near the port city of Izmir - and stabbed them to death. Cops found bloodstained clothing in a bin.

Heartless Celik had returned to work at a restaurant in Kusadasi after the killings - but colleagues noticed him acting oddly.

One said: "Recep was really different when he returned.

"For a while he sat silently near the wall. Then he put something in a bag."
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The waiter's father and a taxi driver are also understood to have been arrested.

Yesterday shocked relatives of Kathy gathered at the Co Down home of her brother George, who was described as "devastated". A nephew said: "She was a lovely woman. It's just hard to believe that something like this would happen to her."

Marion's "shocked" ex-partner Ray McGuinness - Shannon's dad - was set to fly to Turkey today. He said he suspected "there was always something that was not quite right" about his daughter's relationship with the Turk.

The slaying comes 14 years after Marion's pregnant half-sister Belinda was shot dead at her home in Newry by her ex-boyfriend.

Another sister, Monica, said the family was shattered.

She said: "We've just found out. My mother's in the car crying her eyes out."

UK Women Butchered In Turkey

Two UK women butchered in Turkey were lured to their deaths with the promise of a shopping trip in a bustling city.
















Kathy Dinsmore and Marion Graham, both 54, were stabbed by 17-year-old waiter Recep Cetin who was furious Marion had refused to allow him to marry her schoolgirl daughter Shannon.

He cut their throats and dumped their bodies in a forest. The killer is said to have picked up the pair in a taxi from their villa in the resort of Kusadasi and taken them to his father’s home in the city of Izmir 60 miles away.

It is claimed he then drove them in his dad’s car on what they thought was going to be a shopping spree. But instead he took them to the nearby forest and murdered them.

Cetin is said to have snapped after Marion refused his pleas to wed her 15-year-old daughter and return to the UK to live with them. He had been dating the youngster for two years and ­repeatedly asked her to marry him.

Tributes last night flooded in for Kathy and Marion, who had been sharing a rented home in the Korulkent housing development at Ladies Beach with Shannon and Cetin.

Neighbour Brian Hyland said: “Marion was a lovely pleasant woman and this is just horrendous news. She seemed like a real gentle soul who kept to herself.

“Everyone around here is totally shocked to hear what happened.

“Ask anybody who knows Marion, they would say this is the last thing on earth they ever thought would happen to her.” But another neighbour claimed furious ­arguments and shouting were often heard coming from the house.

The resident added: “They were different. They weren’t like the rest of us. There was a lot of fighting in the house, a lot of shouting, a lot of noise.

“He seemed quite volatile. It’s a quiet residential area normally.”

Another neighbour said: “To be honest we kept clear of the boy as he was loud, aggressive and very intimidating.”

Shannon was on a day-long boating trip at Kusadasi when her mum and Kathy were stabbed to death. She raised the alarm when they failed to return home on Thursday. At the same time Cetin arrived for work at a Kusadasi restaurant in a distressed state with a cut to his hand. He claimed he had suffered the injury trying to fight off kidnappers who bundled the two women into a van. They had not been reported missing from their extended holiday at this stage.

Cetin initially denied having anything to do with the women’s disappearance when quizzed by police.

But a search of his home found blood-stained clothing and when confronted with the evidence he is said to have admitted butchering the pair.

His dad and the taxi driver were quizzed but it is believed they are not connected to the horrific killings. Kathy and Marion were regular ­visitors to ­Kusadasi. Cetin’s uncle Ali Cetin claimed the teenager was angry because the pair would drink booze and flirt with Turkish men.

But both women are said to have objected to the way he treated Shannon and were trying to protect her. It is believed she fell in with a bad crowd during her summer trip and was suffering abuse at the hands of her boyfriend.

He is alleged to have hatched his plot to kill the pair after Marion again stood in his way when he asked Shannon to marry him, despite the legal age to wed in Turkey being 17.

Kathy and best friend Marion are from Newry, Co Down, in Northern Ireland.

Sources say Marion spent her summers in Turkey where she was married to a Kurdish man. The estate manager at the housing complex confirmed Cetin rented a house on the site earlier this summer and was living there with Shannon, Marion and Kathy.

The girl’s dad Raymond McGuinness, Marion’s ex, last night told how he was never in favour of his daughter’s ­relationship. He said: “There was always something that was not quite right.”

BUBBLY

Devastated friends flocked to Facebook to speak of their shock at the murders.

Mickey Brady posted: “This is terrible news. Such tragedy should never be visited on a family. To think two families from this area will be plunged into such despair and sadness is terrible.

“I believe I met one of the victims and I can only describe her as a bubbly and friendly individual. I am terribly shocked.” Eileen Morgan Hillen added: “I went to school with one of the women and I agree with Mickey she is bubbly and will be missed terribly.”

Ivy McAleavey wrote: “Our thoughts and prayers are with their families. RIP.

“Also to the daughter of one of the women, please God, give her strength.”

Sinn Fein mayor of Newry and Mourne said: “I believe one of the deceased was a former employee of our council.

“To both families I extend my sincerest sympathies at this time. Any assistance we can offer will be given.”

South Down Member of the Legislative Assembly, Karen McDevitt, said people have been left stunned by the news.

She added: “I have a child of 15 and my heart goes out to Shannon thinking of her over in Turkey having to cope with all this. It’s unbelievable to think this has happened. The whole community is totally in shock.

“My thought and prayers are with all the families affected.”

Newry and Armagh MLA Danny Kennedy said: “I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the families at this awful time. I offer any support and assistance which they may require.”

SDLP Crotlieve Councillor Connaire McGreevy added: “For two families to deal with news of their loved ones being murdered is extremely difficult. My deepest sympathy goes out to them and to the young daughter of one of the victims that has been left behind in Turkey on her own.

“The shock within the community here in Newry and Mourne is widespread and everyone has their thoughts and prayers with the families.”

DUP MLA Jim Wells also expressed his sadness over the murders. He said: “I’ve been on holidays to this area and it’s relatively peaceful and safe. This makes it even more tragic.

“Marrying a girl with a European ­passport is like winning the lottery to some of these guys. They see it as an escape from ­sometimes abject poverty. While some of these relationships are certainly genuine I still think women should be cautious about these kind of romances where marriage is on the cards very quickly.”

Irish diplomats are liaising with the devastated families of both women.

A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin said: “We are providing consular assistance to the families of the two women, particularly the daughter, through the embassy in Ankara. Members of the family are en route to Turkey.”

Kathy and Marion were both travelling on Irish passports. More than 100 Irish residents live at the housing complex in Kusadasi where the pair had been staying before tragedy struck.

UK Elderly Fourth Poorest In EU As Third Of British Over-65s Live In Poverty

Campaigners have called for urgent action to stamp out pensioner poverty after a report found nearly a third of British over-65s are living on below average incomes.

The European Commission statistics, published by Eurostat, place the UK's elderly among the worst in Europe, with 30 per cent living on incomes far below the national average.

This was the fourth highest level in Europe, better than only Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia, the figures showed.













European Commission figures revealed 30 per cent of Britain over-65s are living in poverty, with UK elderly the fourth poorest in the EU.

Age Concern and Help the Aged called for ministers to act through measures such as reforming the benefits and pension system.

The figures come ahead of the Work and Pension Committee's review of government efforts to tackle pensioner poverty, which is published on Thursday.

The EU research, which compared relative poverty in the 27 member states, showed nearly one in three UK over-65s were at risk of poverty in 2007, the same proportion as in Lithuania (30 per cent).

It revealed that in most leading European economies, pensioner poverty levels were either below or slightly above the EU average of 19 per cent.

British pensioners were worse off than Romania, where 19 per cent fell below the poverty threshold, Poland (8 per cent) and France (13 per cent).

Pensioners in the Czech Republic were least likely to be living in poverty, with 5 per cent below the threshold of an income of 60 per cent of the national median, according to the figures.

Michelle Mitchell, charity director for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: 'What this report clearly shows is that, even before the recession sets in, many older people weren't keeping up with the pace at which the general wealth of the nation has increased over the past years.

'This means they risk being increasingly excluded from community life.

'In a country where the richest have incomes five times higher than the poorest, older people are disproportionately bearing the burden of this inequality.

'To lift millions of pensioners out of poverty and prevent this situation from getting worse in the future, this government and the next must find a more effective system to ensure benefits reach those who need them and mee the existing commitment to reform the pension system by 2012.'

Recent research by the charity showed one in five people aged 60 and over are skipping meals to save money on food, while two-fifths are struggling to afford essential items.

Number Of Pensioners In Poverty Rises For First Time In Decade

The number of pensioners living in poverty has risen for the first time in a decade, new figures show.











Official statistics show that 200,000 more elderly people were classed as poor in 2006-7 than the previous year, leaving almost one in three in poverty.

It comes amid record food, fuel and council bills, which are rising at a faster rate than pensions and leaving increasing numbers struggling to cope.

The figures also showed that the number of poor children has risen for the second year running by 100,000, with a third now living below the poverty line.

Campaigners said it was a "moral disgrace" that so many people are unable to make ends meet in one of the world's richest countries, and called on the Government to make sure the poorest pensioners receive the benefits they deserve.

Gordon Lishman, director-general of Age Concern, said: "It is a national disgrace that pensioner poverty levels have begun to rise.

"Older people have been hit particularly hard as living costs have gone through the roof - half of those affected by fuel poverty alone are pensioners."

Mervyn Kohler, special adviser for Help the Aged, added: "When older people live on a fixed income it is virtually impossible for them to pull themselves out of poverty.

"Pensioners often have to cut back on essential household items just to survive. This is a disgrace."

A household is deemed to be below the poverty line if its income is less than 60 per cent of the national median. For the latest figures, this means that a couple with no children who earn less than £226 a week are classed as poor.

When Labour came to power in 1997, there were 2.9 million poor pensioners after rent and mortgage costs are accounted for.

This figure which had been reduced to 1.8 million last year but which now stands at 2.1 million.

When looked at before housing costs are taken into account, the number of poor pensioners is the same now (2.5 million) as it was when Labour came to power and is higher than it was in the mid-1990s.

There were 4.2 million children classed as poor in 1997. By 2005, after a decade of pledges and new benefits systems intended to cut poverty, the number of poor children had been cut to 3.6 million.

But last year the figure rose by 100,000, and this year it has risen again. It is now at the same level as it was five years ago.

In 1999 Labour pledged to halve poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020.

Ministers admitted the numbers published by the Department for Work and Pensions were "disappointing" but insisted they would drop next year once increases in benefits announced in last year's Budget take effect.

Stephen Timms, the Employment and Welfare Reform Minister, said: "We are committed to tackling poverty and providing opportunity for all and these figures confer with the very substantial progress over the last decade to large numbers of pensioners and children lifted out of poverty in relative and absolute terms.

"But we have heard that over the last year or two we have on some levels slipped back."

It was also claimed that the number of poor pensioners may have increased because the impact of a one-off £200 payment to help with council tax bills made in 2005 had now ended.

The Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Chris Grayling, said: "These figures are proof, if ever proof was needed, that Gordon Brown and his Government have quite simply run out of steam and run out of ideas."

Taliban Launches Bomb And Gun Attack On British Council's Kabul Compound

At least 12 killed amid invasion of base used for education and helping Afghanistan's civil society groups.



With its fortified double set of walls, "airlock" entry system and expensive guards hired from the ranks of retired Gurkhas, the occupants of the British Council compound in Kabul could be forgiven for feeling at times more like prisoners than teachers and cultural ambassadors. The compound, which in happier times hosted top diplomats and Afghan government ministers for the Queen's official birthday party, typifies how the rise and rise of the Taliban-led insurgency has forced foreign officials to effectively cut themselves off from the country they work in.

At daybreak on Friday these multi-million pound precautions were not enough to stop the war crashing right into the heart of an organisation which, after years of having a low profile in Afghanistan, had recently received additional funds to greatly expand its work on education, cultural exchanges and helping Afghan civil society groups.

At 5.40am two vehicles laden with explosives and detonating in quick succession made short work of the walls and booms that are meant to keep the outside world away. A handful of heavily-armed suicide attackers then came running from nearby side streets, shouting and firing into the air.

Even before they had got into the compound through the now wrecked front gate the assault had claimed several lives.

"The explosions destroyed my windows and threw me against the wall," said Shah Agha, whose house overlooks the British Council. "When the dust cleared I could see dead municipality workers on the ground and the body of a policeman without a head."














The location of the British Council compound in Kabul.

Details of exactly what happened inside the compound have not yet emerged, but the sound of gunfire and explosions suggested the militants followed the gory new pattern of such attacks: they moved methodically around and tried to kill everyone they found, engaging in fire fights with the team employed by G4S, the British private security company.

As the Gurkhas and Afghans fought back, the two female British Council teachers, one a UK citizen, the other South African, were rushed to a "safe room" by a British G4S bodyguard.

The room is essentially a windowless bunker sealed with a massive metal door, designed to withstand any attack for enough time for outside help to arrive.

On the other side of town, at the British embassy, the ambassador and senior staff scrambled to a control room where they monitored the situation as it unfolded.

A communication link allowed the ambassador, William Patey, to remain in constant touch with the British Council staff hiding in the safe room.

Speaking after they had been safely "extracted" and taken to the British Embassy, he said they were "obviously shaken but well, uninjured".

The Afghan commando unit charged with responding to such incidents has gained considerable experience dealing with the sort of exceptionally difficult situations that would tax the world's best Swat teams.

In June they were involved in a battle to regain control of the hilltop Intercontinental Hotel which was assaulted in similar fashion by a squad of suicide fighters. But despite being among the best trained members of Afghanistan's security forces it appeared they remain heavily reliant on their foreign mentors, members of New Zealand's Special Air Service.

With so many soldiers on the ground, including British troops who manned a cordon, the relatively upmarket west Kabul neighbourhood that is home to leading members of the Afghan establishment, including one of the vice-presidents, soon resembled a war zone in southern Afghanistan.

Amid sporadic bursts of gunfire and explosions, low-flying Apache helicopters circled above, occasionally firing off flares – an automatic counter-measure against surface to air missiles.

Some journalists wore flak jackets and Kevlar helmets to report from the streets of the relatively secure Afghan capital, while the tell tale "whizzing" noise indicates bullets are passing nearby at one point sent reporters piling into drainage ditches for cover.

At midday a pair of Blackhawk helicopters picked up a seriously wounded soldier to take him to a Nato trauma hospital. The New Zealand Defence Force later confirmed that an SAS member had died en route to hospital after being shot in the chest, the first death the regiment has suffered in Afghanistan.

Nine people were killed in the fighting and 22 injured. G4S said three of its Afghan employees were also killed, while three Gurkhas and three Afghans were injured. Considering the length of the fighting, many feared a bigger death toll. The Taliban's public relations team was quick to exploit the attack, grossly inflating the number killed to 40 foreigners and Afghan police, as is their habit.

Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman reached by phone, said it was a symbolic act timed to coincide with the annual celebration of the day in 1919 when Afghanistan won the right to run a foreign policy independent of Britain.

"We attacked the buildings because we want to remind the British that we won our independence from them before and we will do it again," he said.

Even as fighting raged at a compound a few hundred metres from the once grand campus that used to house the British embassy in the heyday of empire, over at the presidential palace Hamid Karzai and senior Afghans and foreign diplomats marked the anniversary with a small ceremony.

It was not until 2pm that the British ambassador declared the operation to retake control of the British Council was over and every insurgent killed.

But bursts of automatic gunfire could still be heard from inside the compound nine hours after the siege began, although the shots were almost certainly not due to firefights with insurgents.

On the street outside soldiers, including a member of Britain's special forces with his face hidden a scarf, angrily tried to get journalists to move away.

Shortly afterwards Afghan officials invited the media forward to photograph the grisly remains of one of the attackers which they laid out for the scrum of reporters. For good measure one of the policemen spat on the corpse.

Phone Hacking: Met Police detective Arrested

Policeman suspected of leaking details of hacking investigation as force also confirms arrest of 35-year-old man.












Phone hacking: the man has not been charged but he has been suspended by the Metropolitan police.

A police detective has been arrested on suspicion of leaking details about Scotland Yard's phone-hacking investigation.

The man has not been charged but he has been suspended by the Metropolitan police.

The Met also on Friday arrested a 35-year-old man, who Sky News named as former News of the World reporter Dan Evans, on suspicion of phone hacking. He has been released on police bail.

Evans was suspended by the paper more than a year ago after being named in a civil case against the now defunct tabloid's publisher, News International subsidiary News Group Newspapers, brought by interior designer Kelly Hoppen.

Sue Akers, the force's deputy assistant commissioner, who is leading the investigation into phone hacking at the News of the World, said: "I made very clear when I took on this investigation the need for operational and information security. It is hugely disappointing that this may not have been adhered to."

Akers added: "The MPS [Met] takes the unauthorised disclosure of information extremely seriously and has acted swiftly in making these arrests."

A spokesperson for Guardian News & Media, which publishes the Guardian, declined to comment on reports that the leaks had been to the Guardian, and said: "We note the arrest of a Scotland Yard detective on suspicion of misconduct in a public office relating to unauthorised disclosure of information.

"On the broader point raised by the arrest, journalists would no doubt be concerned if conversations between off-the-record sources and reporters came routinely to be regarded as criminal activity. In common with all news organisations we have no comment to make on the sources of our journalism."

The Lockerbie Bomber I Know

Two years ago Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was controversially released on the grounds he was about to die. But this shadowy figure has survived to become a pawn in the Libyan conflict. John Ashton, who has long believed in his innocence, describes the man behind the myth.












Megrahi is greeted on his return to Libya in August 2009.

It's an anniversary that the Scottish justice minister, Kenny MacAskill, will have long dreaded. Two years ago tomorrow MacAskill granted Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, AKA "the Lockerbie bomber", compassionate release from the life sentence he was serving for the murder of the 270 victims of the 1988 bombing. MacAskill had been advised that terminal cancer was likely to end the Libyan's life within the following three months: he had, in short, been "sent home to die". As Megrahi's recent appearance at a pro-Gaddafi rally reminded us, he has not stuck to the script.

The anniversary presents sections of the media with another opportunity to splutter its outrage at MacAskill's decision, and to resurrect the theory that it was driven by backroom deals rather than medical evidence. More seriously, for many of the relatives of the Lockerbie dead it adds an appalling insult to their already grievous injury.

But Megrahi's survival, and the Lockerbie case in general, now has far wider significance. For western governments struggling to justify why Libya should be singled out for enforced regime change, the issue has become a godsend. In recent weeks both Barack Obama and William Hague have tried to boost wilting public support for the war by highlighting Gaddafi's responsibility for the 1988 attack.

Libya's government-in-waiting, the National Transitional Council, has weighed in too. Its leader, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, claimed in February that Gaddafi personally ordered the bombing, and its London PR company, Bell-Pottinger, followed up Hague's comments by circulating a claim by a leading cancer specialist that MacAskill's decision was based on flawed medical advice.

There is, though, another view that is shared by many who have scrutinised the Lockerbie case. They hold that the true scandal was not Megrahi's release, but his 2001 conviction. The Justice for Megrahi campaign, founded in 2008, counts among its signatories Dr Jim Swire and Rev John Mosey, each of whom lost a daughter in the bombing, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the head of the Catholic Church in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien. Another signatory, Scottish QC Ian Hamilton, last year blogged: "I don't think there's a lawyer in Scotland who now believes Mr Megrahi was justly convicted."

I go further than those lawyers: I am as certain as I can be that Megrahi is innocent. For three years until his return to Libya I worked as a researcher alongside his legal team and since then have been writing a book with him. I have read all his case files and have visited him many times, both in prison and in Tripoli. I'm one of a handful of people familiar with both the man and the evidence that convicted him.

It requires a book to explain all the flaws in that evidence. In 2007 the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (SCCRC) granted Megrahi an appeal, having identified six possible grounds for overturning the conviction. Among these, remarkably, was that the original judgment, delivered by three Scottish judges at a specially constructed court in the Netherlands, was unreasonable. Four of the other grounds concerned the Crown's most important witness, a Maltese shopkeeper called Tony Gauci, in whose shop Megrahi allegedly bought the clothes that ended up in the same suitcase as the bomb. In 1991 he picked out Megrahi from a lineup of photos. The SCCRC discovered that before doing so he had expressed an interest in receiving a reward, and that after Megrahi's conviction the Scottish police secretly approached the US Department of Justice to secure a $2m payment. Gauci's evidence was, in any case, highly unreliable. His descriptions of the clothes purchaser all suggested the man was around 50 years old, 6ft tall and with dark skin, whereas Megrahi was 36, is 5ft 8in and has light skin.

There is also a wealth of circumstantial evidence that suggests Lockerbie was the work of Iranian proxies, rather than Libya. (Although the Libyan government formally accepted responsibility for Lockerbie in 2004, it made clear that it was doing so only to rid the country of UN sanctions.)

The final reason for my near certaintly about Megrahi is my knowledge of the man himself. Who, then, is he if not the cartoon terrorist of contemporary mythology? Few have any idea: he opted not to give evidence at trial, and has barely spoken to the media. He was born in Tripoli in 1952, into poverty that was typical of the times in Libya. One of eight siblings, his family shared a house with two others, and his mother supplemented his father's customs officer's income by sewing for neighbours. As a young child he was plagued by chest problems, for which he received daily vitamin supplements at his Unesco-administered school. His main passion was football, which continues to absorb him.

After finishing school in 1970, he briefly trained as a marine engineer at Rumney Technical College in Cardiff, hoping to become a ship's captain or navigator. When his eyesight proved too poor, he dropped out and returned to Tripoli, where he trained as a flight dispatcher for the state-owned Libyan Arab Airlines (LAA). Having completed his training and gained his dispatcher's licence in the US, he was gradually promoted to head of operations at Tripoli airport. Keen to improve his education, he studied geography at the University of Benghazi. He came top in his year and was invited to join the teaching staff on the promise that he could study for a master's degree in climatology in the US. When the promise proved hollow, he opted to boost his salary by returning to LAA.

In 1986 he became a partner in a small company called ABH and was temporarily appointed LAA's head of airline security. The following year he became part-time coordinator of the Libyan Centre for Strategic Studies. His Scottish prosecutors aimed to prove that these roles were cover for his activities as a senior agent for the Libyan intelligence service, the JSO.

Megrahi maintains that his only involvement with the JSO came during his 12-month tenure as head of airline security when he was seconded to the organisation to oversee the training of some of its personnel for security positions within the airline. There is ample documentary evidence to support his claim that ABH was a legitimate trading company whose main business was the purchase of spares for LAA aircraft, often in breach of US sanctions. He admits that he sometimes travelled on a false passport, but insists that it was issued to give him cover for his sanctions-busting activities; unlike his true passport, it did not betray his airline background.

Megrahi says that it came as a complete surprise when, in November 1991, he and his former LAA colleague Lamin Fhimah were charged with the bombing (Fhimah was found not guilty). Megrahi also maintains that it was their decision to stand trial and that they were not ordered to by their government. He was repeatedly warned that he was unlikely to receive a fair trial, but believed he would be acquitted.

During his decade in prison his good manners and cooperative behaviour earned him the respect of the officers. He bonded with them through football, joining in their three-a-side matches at HMP Barlinnie and bantering about Glasgow's Old Firm rivalry. Perversely, he supported Rangers, but his favourite player was Celtic's Henrik Larsson.

He was cheered by visits from well-known figures, most notably Nelson Mandela, and by hundreds of letters of support. In 2005 he was transferred to a low-security wing of HMP Gateside in Greenock, where he was placed among long-term prisoners nearing the end of their sentences. He was soon accepted by both inmates and officers, one of whom volunteered to me: "We all know he didn't do it."

I would visit him there in one of the tiny rooms set aside for legal visits. He always arrived with a bundle of papers and would then take me through fine points of evidential detail. He was demanding, but friendly and humorous. He was sustained by the support of his family and by regular prayer; like most Libyans of his generation he is a devout Muslim. He abhors violent extremism and was reduced to tears by the 9/11 attacks.

We were optimistic that his appeal would succeed, but its progress was glacial. In autumn 2008, with the first hearing still six months away, he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. He had always dreamed of clearing his name and returning to his family, but eventually felt compelled to choose between the two. Although the compassionate release decision carried no legal preconditions, he knew that abandoning the appeal would smooth the process. No longer able to make his case in court, he asked me to write his story so he could make it to the public.

Writing the book required numerous visits to Tripoli, where he received me warmly in the home he shares with his wife and four sons in a middle-class suburb. His illness limited our sessions to a couple of hours. He would check every word I'd written for accuracy and was insistent that I include the case for both sides and not shy away from awkward facts. He repeatedly told me: "I understand that people will judge me with their hearts, but I ask them to please also judge me with their heads."

His reception, on his return to Tripoli, was portrayed as a triumphant official welcome, but, as a WikiLeaks cable revealed, the Libyan authorities limited the crowd to 200, with thousands of supporters and the international media kept away. A few months later the Sunday Times reported that, at the time he was convicted, he had $1.8m in a Swiss bank account. In fact the account had been dormant since 1993, when it had a balance of $23,000. This year the same paper reported a claim by NTC leader Abdel-Jalil that Megrahi had blackmailed Gaddafi to secure his release from prison "by threatening to expose the dictator's role" in the bombing. Had he done so he would have severely jeopardised both his chance of freedom and the safety of his family in Libya. Although he responded to such misreporting with a faint smile and a roll of the eyes, it hurt him deeply that anyone could believe him guilty of murder.

One story was rather easier to refute: Sky News's October 2009 report that he had died. By chance I was with him that day. It was almost impossible to talk as every few seconds he took a call from a distressed relative.

When I last saw him, in September 2010, he visited me at my hotel. It was the only time I saw him among ordinary Libyans. Again we were repeatedly interrupted, this time by strangers thanking him, not for an act of terrorism, but for sacrificing his liberty for the good of the nation. His decision to stand trial helped free the country from UN sanctions that imposed 12 years of collective punishment on the assumption of his guilt. We now know that that assumption was based on evidence that was, at best, flimsy and, at worst, fabricated.

His appearance at the rally in a wheelchair probably won't silence the conspiracy theorists who claim he is living the life of Riley. The fact that he has made it this far is partly down to the superior medical care he receives. But I believe it's as much to do with his will to live and the knowledge that every day survived is a fragment of justice reclaimed.

Riots: Fears Over Violence As Prison Population Swells To Record Level

Police officers stand in front of a prison van. Prison chiefs appear to be concerned about the volatility of the jail population after the incarceration of hundreds of rioters.

Prison service chiefs have sounded the alarm over potential unrest and violence in overcrowded jails in England and Wales as hundreds of rioters have swelled the prison population to a record level.

The Prison Service admitted on Friday that they are "closely monitoring the estate for any potential unrest" after the prison population broke through the 86,000 mark for the first time.

The governors of all jails in England and Wales were earlier this week warned by the Prison Service's "gold commander", who was running the emergency response to the riots, to take steps to ensure the safety of those involved in public disorder who had been remanded in custody for the first time in their lives, it emerged on Friday.

"This morning there has been a nasty three person alleged assault. All three victims were public disorder remands, two currently in hospital," Andrew Cross, the Prison Service's deputy director of operations who was acting as gold commander, reported in the email sent out on Monday.

A separate email to governors from the Prison Service's national operations group asks them to "watch the mood and atmosphere in your prison" in the aftermath of the alleged assault on three people, which it says took place at Cookham Wood young offenders institution at Borstal in Kent.

The internal justice ministry emails indicate that while prison chiefs are fairly confident that they can provide sufficient cells to cope with the rocketing prison population, they have more immediate concerns about the volatility of the jail population.

They appear particularly concerned that existing inmates, perhaps from rival gangs, will attack some unwary, unconvicted riot defendants who have never been in trouble before and have little idea of how to safely navigate the gang-hardened culture inside some jails.

The email sent to all governors by Cross said: "Over the past few days there has been emerging intelligence regarding the consequences of receiving public disorder remands/offenders."

Cross said individual prisons were responding to this intelligence: "The consideration that has been gathering pace is the safety of remands/offenders and is not limited to the young offenders/young persons estate but also includes adult male and female offenders."

He told governors that when they were dealing with riot defendants or offenders it was important they put thought into their background in terms of their experience of a custodial setting.

"Whilst the induction process ensures that remands/offenders are aware of the risks of stating where they live, what gang they may be in, what team they may support or faith they may be, it is worth ensuring that reception staff give a verbal brief and assess risk where they remand first time in custody people."

A Prison Service spokeswoman said the emails were reminding governors to ensure that, despite the increased arrivals to prison, all reception procedures were thoroughly followed: "It is entirely appropriate to remind governors of the need to make proper assessments of the risks that apply to certain prisoners and the steps they should take to manage such risks."

She added that officials at Cookham Wood were clear "that this incident was not riot related".

But Harry Fletcher of Napo, the probation union, said the memos showed real concerns about the danger to people who were being remanded in custody for the first-time on riot related charges: "They could be at risk of self-harm or of assault by other prisoners because of resentment about their actions or their notoriety."

On Friday, David Cameron appeared to moderate his hardline-approach to sentencing the rioters during the BBC's Test Match Special, on which he made a guest appearance while watching the cricket.

He said it was right the courts should pass exemplary sentences to demonstrate what had happened was wrong but he also said that those convicted deserved a second chance once they had served their punishment: "I'm an optimist. I'm a believer in giving people second chances in life. I don't think anyone is totally lost," he said. "Even these people that are going to prison – and they are getting some pretty hefty prison sentences – there is still a chance for them to rebuild their lives."

The internal memos were disclosed after the prison population in England and Wales hit a record high of 86,654 following the courts' decision to remand hundreds charged with rioting and looting in custody.

The Ministry of Justice said the prison population had risen by 723 over the past week. Officials are making contingency plans to accelerate the opening of new prison buildings and bring mothballed accommodation back into use.

There are currently only 1,439 spare, usable places left in the jail system, but prison chiefs say they remain confident they have enough to cope with those being imprisoned by the courts in relation to the recent riots.

"We are developing contingencies to increase usable capacity should further pressure be placed on the prison estate," the Prison Service said.

It is thought the plans include opening accommodation at the new Isis prison next to Belmarsh in south-east London earlier than expected, and bringing back into use a wing at Lewes prison, East Sussex, which had been closed for refurbishment.

The Prison Service said it had no plans to reverse the decision to close two prisons – Latchmere House in London, and Brockhill in Redditch – next month.

But Geoff Dobson, the deputy director of the Prison Reform Trust, said the rapid increase in prison numbers meant that some parts of the system were "becoming human warehouses, doing little more than banging people up in overcrowded conditions, with regimes that are hard pressed to offer any employment or education. The likelihood is that for some first time offenders that will provide a fast-track to a criminal career."

'Fewer New Jobs Going To UK-Born Workers'

The Work and Pensions Secretary has admitted fewer new jobs were going to UK-born workers and the situation was "getting worse".











Iain Duncan Smith said the Government must push ahead with welfare change to "reform a group that's progressively less able to do the work".

He has called for the benefits system to be simplified with a universal credit and work incentives to be used to tackle worklessness.

"I always argued that the last Conservative government freed up the markets, but what was missing was the next bit," he told The Spectator.

"Getting society in Britain ready to meet that change. We never did.

"We ended up with a sort of mid-20th century society, many locked away in welfarism, and a 21st century economy.

"We see now that one cannot meet the results of the other. It's not optional.

"If anything tells you that it's not optional, look at the 2.5 million jobs created under Labour out of which at least 60% went to foreign nationals."

According to the Spectator, latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show in the second quarter of 2010 there were 24,287,000 UK-born people in work, this dropped to 24,188,000 in the second quarter of 2011 - a fall of 99,000.

It's getting worse, and it's getting worse because we face the problem of having to reform a group that's progressively less able to do the work.

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith

During the same period, the number of foreign-born people in work rose by 278,000 to 4,080,000.

Mr Duncan Smith added: "It's getting worse, and it's getting worse because we face the problem of having to reform a group that's progressively less able to do the work.

"That's why I believe we're in the last chance saloon.

"Last week [the riots] was a wake-up call for us but we should thank our lucky stars that we had one."

Last month he appealed to businesses to employ young and unemployed British people ahead of "labour from abroad".

Former prime minister Gordon Brown was criticised after his 2007 pledge to provide "British jobs for British workers".

Figures released after his statement showed around 80% of jobs created during Labour's time in power went to migrants.

The definitions of "UK-born" and "foreign-born" are set by the European Commission.

Asylum Seekers Are Lured To The UK By Its 'Enormous' Benefits, Says Calais Mayor In Blistering Attack On Britain

Britain's ‘enormous’ state handouts to asylum seekers were furiously criticised yesterday – by the Mayor of Calais.

Natacha Bouchart said these payouts were the lure for thousands of foreigners using the French port as a staging point to cross the Channel illegally.















'Disgusted': Mayor Natacha Bouchart.

She said the UK government’s policy was ‘imposing’ migrants on the town, costing the local economy millions.

Mrs Bouchart, 45, a member of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s ruling UMP party, said she was so disgusted by what was going on that she refused to have any meetings with British government representatives.

She said the British system was predominantly to blame for thousands of Africans, eastern Europeans and Asians trying to clamber aboard lorries and trains in Calais every day.

‘Requesting asylum is easier with them (the British) than in France. The asylum seeker is given accommodation and receives up to £40 a week according to

their case, when the annual income of the average Eritrean is around $200 (£135).

‘That seems enormous and it’s attractive to them.’

In Britain, asylum seekers can receive payments as soon as a claim is lodged. In France, an asylum seeker generally is given nothing for six months.

That is because the French bureaucratic system means it routinely takes a minimum of six months to have a claim for asylum – and with it the opportunity to receive state support – accepted.

Once accepted, the claimant can receive a range of benefits – but almost all prefer to try to reach Britain and secure immediate benefits.













Destination Britain: Some of the thousands of would-be asylum seekers in Calais.

Married asylum-seeking couples in the UK receive £66.13 a week, while single people get up to £42.16. They are also entitled to free NHS care, housing and education for any children.

Home Office Minister Phil Woolas has been seeking closer cooperation with France in the hope of preventing the crisis in Calais from escalating.

Ministers have been alarmed by figures showing the number of migrants caught trying to reach Britain by stowing away on lorries at Calais has doubled over the last year to more than 2,000 a month.

The count of 6,031 in the first three months of this year compares with 2,919 caught by port security services trying to gain access to trucks queueing for ferries between January and March 2008.

The pressure on the port of Calais is being matched at the Channel Tunnel terminal outside the town, which has reported a 50 per cent rise in illegal migrants over last year. Most are trying to board lorries waiting for places on freight trains.

Mrs Bouchart said she had received many requests for a meeting with UK officials to attempt to sort out the mess.

‘I’ve never followed them up because I consider them provocative. To receive in the city hall a representative of the British governmentis to support what it imposes on us.’

The mayor pointed out that the Calais Chamber of Trade was having to pay £12million a year to secure the port area – money she suggested the French government should provide.










Calling for a ‘change in attitude’, Mrs Bouchart said the current build-up of UK-bound foreigners was ‘untenable’.

‘Each day the town of Calais finds itself under psychological pressure because of the presence of the migrants.

‘That blocks our economic development. That stops some businesses from establishing themselves and that costs a lot.’

Tory immigration spokesman Damian Green said: ‘The Mayor of Calais is right that the long-term chaos in our immigration system, from badly-protected borders to the Home Office not sending an officer to many appeal hearings, encourages people to try their luck.

‘The answer for Britain and the people of Calais is a well-run immigration system with a proper Border Police Force.’

Sir Andrew Green, chairman of MigrationWatch UK, said: ‘Gallic logic has reached the inescapable conclusion that Britain is a soft touch for asylum seekers.

‘You only have to say the word asylum and you have an 80 per cent chance of staying in Britain, more often than not illegally.’

In response, Mr Woolas said: ‘The illegal migrants in Calais are not queueing to get into Britain – they have been locked out by one of the toughest border crossings in the world. These successful controls have been possible thanks to the close co-operation of the French government.

‘Benefits are only available to those who play by the rules, work hard, pay taxes and learn to speak English.

‘I have made it clear that those trying to cheat our system will not be tolerated, which is why last year UK Border Agency staff worked tirelessly at our French and Belgium controls – stopping more than 28,000 attempts to cross the Channel illegally.’