(09.05.2014) The way for such reactionary policies had been paved by the previous Labour government, which tightened regulations on asylum seekers, slashed the amount of welfare benefits they could claim, and implemented discriminatory policies in housing and other areas.

Roche, who would now like to present herself as a crusader against racism, was fully involved in such policies as Minister for Immigration. In 2000, she denounced Eastern European immigrants forced to beg on the street due to the lack of social support as “vile”.

One year later, in 2001, Roche remarked that, “The 1951 United Nations Convention is being used as a back door route for illegal immigration.”