Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, commenting on the report published today by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration said:

“When Home Office failures allow killers to get British citizenship the Home Secretary should take action and not seek to manage the bad news. This report outlines serious failures from the Home Office and people will rightly be alarmed that a person who had stabbed someone to death in their own country could be granted citizenship in Britain.

“Failure to properly check criminal records, to fully understand people’s financial background and take into account their previous immigration status is completely unacceptable.

“The Home Secretary has tried to bury this bad news after sitting on the report for months, but the inspector’s findings are so severe it is now vital she makes an urgent public statement to make clear how many people were given citizenship without the proper checks.

“The Government needs to make clear how many people were awarded citizenship without proper checks, how many of them had worked illegally or absconded in the UK before receiving  it, and how many foreign criminals were given citizenship because checks weren’t made. This is a basic responsibility for the Home Secretary and this report shows she is failing badly and trying to cover it up too.”