Immigration minister’s office evacuated after govt may have deported legal citizens by mistake
A “suspicious substance” that sparked an evacuation at the constituency office of immigration minister Caroline Nokes has been declared non-hazardous by police. Nokes made headlines this week over the Windrush crisis.
Photos shared on social media show the emergency services lined up outside the Romsey Conservative Club. Romsey Town Council confirmed that an incident was taking place involving all “blue-light services.”
Hampshire Police confirmed that an address in Romsey had been evacuated after the discovery of the substance, and have since declared the area safe.
An ambulance crew & @SCAS_HART, along with @Hants_fire are currently supporting @HantsPolice at an incident in Market Place, Romsey. Please follow @HantsPolice for all further updates.
— SCAS (@SCAS999) April 17, 2018
Address in Market Place, #Romsey evacuated after "suspicious substance" found pic.twitter.com/5dWFuKqXog
— Rachel Lang (@rlangjournalist) April 17, 2018
“Officers attended the scene with colleagues from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and South Central Ambulance Service, as is routine with this type of incident,” Hampshire Police said in a statement to the media.
“A cordon was put in place as a precaution while tests were carried out to establish what the substance was. Following those tests, we can confirm that the substance is not hazardous and there is no risk to the public.”
Members of the public took to Twitter to share photos of the incident.
— Tiff Needell (@tiff_tv) April 17, 2018
Nokes made headlines on Monday as a result of the Windrush crisis. The scandal saw immigrants or their children, who had relocated from the Caribbean to the UK following World War II, deported by the government despite coming to Britain legally… just at a time when documentation was less rigid.
As a result, some lost jobs, been denied NHS support, and have even been deported as they cannot prove that they are legally in the UK.
My parents came here as citizens, now the #windrush generation are suffering inhumane treatment at the hands of the Home Office. If you lay down with dogs, you get fleas!This is a day of national shame: the PM and Home Sec must apologise! pic.twitter.com/gxqoSErU3o
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 16, 2018
On Monday, Nokes seemed to suggest that some of those who arrived in the UK decades ago as children may already have been deported in error. Home Secretary Amber Rudd was quizzed in the Commons about the possible deportations, however, she told MPs that she was not aware of any specific cases.
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