There seems to be no let up in the trend towards ever tighter
immigration controls. The Queen's Speech includes a number of
headline-grabbing announcements on the immigration front, not all
of them new.
The focus on immigration can be explained by a couple of
key events over the past few weeks. Firstly, the Home Office's
frustration at the Court of Appeal's decision to reject
the Government's appeal against the High Court's decision
not to deport Abu Qatada has led to no end of sabre
rattling from Whitehall, culminating in David Cameron's threat
to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights. It can
come as no surprise therefore that the Queen's Speech also
includes plans for a parliamentary bill to make it easier to deport
foreign criminals, unless 'extraordinary' circumstances
apply. How such legislation would work in practice if the courts
remain bound by national and international human rights law remains
to be seen. The meaning of 'extraordinary' will
