Woolas hits back in borders row

AN OLDHAM MP who came under fire for saying immigration officials were “putting their lives on the line” for the country has defended his comments.

Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas made the remarks after a Home Affairs Select Committee report said UK Border Agency was still “not fit for purpose” years after revelations about foreign prisoners and the backlog of asylum claims.

The Immigration Minister said: “I think the UK Border Agency should be praised — they are very brave men and women who protect our borders and they are getting on top of the situation.

“The chairman of the Select Committee has said we are not yet fit for purpose so I’m defending my staff who put their lives on the line for us.”

Chairman, Keith Vaz, said it was “astonishing” that £295,000 bonuses were paid despite an embarrassing new discovery that officials had lost track of tens of thousands of immigrants.

Shadow defence minister and former British Army officer Patrick Mercer waded in to the row, criticising Mr Woolas in his praise.

Mr Mercer said: “It is a very hard thing to swallow for our fighting forces to be compared with an immigration service about which most of us have the gravest of doubts.

“It’s deeply insensitive to make those statements the day after the 100th member of the Armed Forces was killed in Afghanistan this year.”

But Mr Woolas told the Chronicle: “For this Tory lapdog to use the soldiers in a political attack is beneath contempt.

“I am a minister and responsible for 23,000 officials. He is just trying to get headlines in tabloid newspapers.”