Vince Cable

Yesterday (Tuesday) Vincent Cable, MP, met immigration minister Beverly Hughes to discuss what he described as "one of the worst cases I have ever dealt with".

A Teddington mother of two children, a refugee from Afghanistan, was diagnosed as terminally ill with cancer and made a desperate appeal to see her parents before she died. The parents live in Iran where they had fled from the Taliban. An application to the British Embassy for a visitors visa was turned down and then a direct appeal to the Minister by Vincent Cable was also rejected (on the grounds that the parents might not go back - though they have land in Afghanistan and British volunteers were willing to stand surety).

After she died in the Princess Alice Hospice, two weeks ago, the family made a fresh appeal for the parents to come to the funeral but the minister again rejected it"."

"Vincent Cable said: "those who complain about Britain being a 'soft touch' are often unaware of the enormous problems which law abiding , locally resident, refugees and immigrants have in getting their relatives here for short visit for funerals, weddings and births. This particular case was dealt with in an appallingly insensitive way and my suspicions have been aroused that the Minister may have been shown the wrong file on the wrong person and may have made a decision in error which is all too typical of this appalling government department".