The Hindu : U.K. Minister quits over visa row

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 02, 2004

International

International

U.K. Minister quits over visa row

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, APRIL 1. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, was dealt an embarrassing political blow today when one of his trusted Ministers was forced to resign after a protracted row over a visa scam involving prospective immigrants from Romania and Bulgaria.

The Immigration Minister, Beverley Hughes, whom he had hailed as a `fantastic' member of his Government only a few days ago, quit this morning after it emerged that she had `misled' Parliament by claiming that she had not been aware of the scam. Hundreds of people from Romania and Bulgaria, allegedly using forged documents, were able to get visas to come to Britain. It had been alleged that Ms. Hughes' department failed to take any action even after the `fraud' was brought to its notice. Downing Street admitted that Ms. Hughes had given a "misleading impression, albeit unwittingly'' when she told Parliament that she had no idea what had been going on. Mr. Blair told reporters that Ms. Hughes decided to quit after she discovered `inconsistencies' between her statements and an official correspondence she had since discovered.

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