NEWS

Clarke: Why I will tough it out

Charles Clarke, talking to an EDP reporter yesterday.

01 May 2006 09:10

Home secretary Charles Clarke last night lifted the lid on the pressure he has faced in the past seven days, but insisted he was still the man to sort out the foreign prisoner crisis and continue the reform of his department.

Speaking exclusively to the EDP, the Norwich South MP brushed off fresh calls for him to quit after revelations that five of the 1,023 foreign prisoners let loose without being considered for deportation had reoffended.

"It doesn't remotely compare to the pressure of 7/7 and the subsequent decisions of that time and how we protect ourselves against the threats that are there," he said.

"At the end of the day, my own political future depends on my own strength of character dealing with the points that are raised, first, secondly on the support of my own political colleagues, and thirdly and most importantly on the decisions of the prime minister.

"If I lost that support, that would be different. I hope I will continue as home secretary."

Mr Clarke's admission that 288 prisoners were released after he was alerted could ultimately decide his fate if revelations come to light that any of those go on to reoffend.

Yesterday, the Home Office refused to reveal how many wrongly-released foreign criminals were still at large.

A massive operation to arrest 79 of the most serious offenders has been ongoing across the country all weekend but the degree of its success is unclear.

Mr Clarke said on Friday that deportation action had begun in 63 cases and six people were already in custody pending deportation.

The success of the operation is likely to determine Mr Clarke's fate, with Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying in a newspaper interview that the future of the Home Secretary "depends on what happens' and adding that there were "no excuses' for the mistaken release of the prisoners.

But with his political future still in the balance, the home secretary defended his record and was typically forthright in his belief that he should stay on.

"I have tried to be a reforming home secretary and have tried to deal with some fundamental issues," he said. "We have still got some challenges which still need to be completed and I think I am the best person to carry that through."

Asked how he had coped with the past seven days and his admission of "shortcomings" in his department, he said his main objective had been to set out the facts as clearly as possible.

"There are a lot of issues of genuine concern quite apart from the political side and obviously I wanted to explain as best I could how we have been trying to deal with this situation, and that's what I have done," he said.

"Obviously with the mistakes with what was told to the public accounts committee, it would have been ridiculous for me not to consider my position. Considering your position isn't the same thing as resigning.

"I thought about it and thought about the reform agenda and what I had delivered. If I look back over the past 15 months I don't think it's been an underachieving period. I feel we have achieved a great deal."

Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott also came out fighting against newspaper allegations of his affair with former diary secretary Tracey Temple - also insisting he would not quit.

Like the Prime Minister and other cabinet colleagues, Mr Clarke would not be drawn. "As far as John Prescott is concerned I still believe the matter is entirely personal," he said.

Mr Clarke sought to shore up his position as Shadow home secretary David Davis predicted at least another 50 serious crimes would be revealed to have been committed by the released prisoners.

He said: "When that conviction comes through, if it comes through, then you will have a Home Secretary who will have been complicit in allowing a terrible crime to occur against a British citizen.

"On the one hand you have got John Prescott who is a Whitehall farce; Charles Clarke is a national tragedy.

"If I were in his position I would tender my resignation to the Prime Minister and I would not take no for an answer.'

John Denham, Labour chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee, said that it would be looking into the issues, adding: that it would be "some time" before all of the problems were resolved and there was a "powerful case" for a change in the law to ensure deportations were carried out.

Mr Clarke also dismissed suggestions that with a heavy legislative agenda including ID cards, anti-terrorism measures and plans for regional police forces he had taken his eye off the ball on the foreign prisoner issue.

Nor did he believe that the Home Office should be broken up into smaller departments. "I don't see how breaking things up into individual government departments would improve the situation," he said. "The problem is more co-ordination not less, that applies at all levels."

Mr Clarke said he had been buoyed by the support of his ministerial colleagues and constituents. But he admitted he had abandoned plans on Saturday to campaign with local Labour activists ahead of the Norwich city council elections on Thursday when his party is hoping to retake control of City Hall.

"I was going to do something on Saturday but decided it was more prudent not to because it would divert from the local poll which is here. But people remain very concerned about city issues such as how we get more CCTV, warden issues and alleygating issues. I hope people accept we have got a better record than our main opponents, the Liberal Democrats."

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