DES BROWNE APPOINTED AFTER BEVERLEY HUGHES RESIGNS
(2 Arpil 2004)

Des Browne MP has today been appointed Minister of State for Citizenship and Immigration at the Home Office. His appointment follows the resignation of Beverley Hughes MP, who stepped down following claims of misleading the public on asylum numbers and clearance controls in some Eastern European countries.

In a statement, Ms Hughes said : "Over the last four weeks I have faced sustained parliamentary and media criticism over our system of immigration controls. I understand why people feel so strongly about these issues. They touch on some of our deepest concerns about the security and identity of our country. I have done my best to answer whatever questions and allegations I have faced honestly and directly and to ensure that we look hard at the issues raised to see where we might need to take further action.

I am confident that at all times I've acted properly and in the best interests of the people of this country and I am proud of what I have achieved over the last two years.

Nonetheless, it has become clear to me that, however unwittingly, I may have given a misleading impression in my interviews on Monday night about whether anything of the concerns expressed about the operation of clearance controls from Bulgaria and Romania had crossed my desk at any stage in the last two years.

On Tuesday, in order to prepare for the next phase of the Sutton inquiry, I asked for all the relevant files and paperwork to be reviewed in order to ensure that everything is correctly disclosed. During this process, it was discovered that the Member for Coventry North East (Mr Ainsworth) had in fact written to me a year ago drawing my attention to pro forma business plans submitted by UK solicitors in Romanian and Bulgarian cases. I did in fact take action at that time on advice from officials to address these concerns.

On Wednesday, having re-read the interviews I gave on Monday, I realised that what I said then was not in fact fully consistent with that correspondence and once the full picture was then clear to me I asked to see both the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary to explain that I had decided that I could not continue.

DES BROWNE TAKES THE HELM

Commenting on his new appointment, Mr Browne said: "I am honoured to take up this job in one of the great ministries of state. However my first thoughts are with Beverley Hughes who has done an excellent job and helped to ensure we have a strong platform to build on.

"As the Home Secretary has made clear, we will continue the reform agenda to ensure the system both has integrity and is seen to have integrity. Immigration has been good for this country. But we must ensure that our reputation for being an open, tolerant and liberal nation is not undermined by fraud and malpractice.

"My honour in taking up this new post is, of course, tinged with a degree of regret. We already have one of the best labour markets in the world and my successor as the Minister for Work will have a great opportunity to take forward the welfare to work agenda and make a difference to some of our most disadvantaged citizens.

"I now intend to begin reading myself into the brief and get on with the job."

Des Browne has been the MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun since 1997. He was born on 22 March 1952 and is married with two sons. He studied law at Glasgow University. Before entering Parliament he was a lawyer and was called to the Scottish Bar in 1993.

He was appointed to the Department for Work and Pensions as a Minister of State in June 2003 and was a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office between 2001-03. He is a former member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights and was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary to Adam Ingram MP and the late Donald Dewar MP.

Home Secretary David Blunkett said, "I am very pleased to welcome Des Browne to the Home Office. He is a politician I have always respected and admired. He has an excellent record of achievement as a Minister in the Northern Ireland Office and the Department for Work and Pensions. I know he will build on the successful work of Bev Hughes and make a real contribution to the work of the Department."

Top