Grayling slams Home Office "chaos"

Chris Grayling has stressed the last few weeks have been "another chapter of chaos" in the Home Office.

The Shadow Home Secretary said the emergence of a terror threat from the student visa system was an "unsurprising" development, given that the Conservatives and the security services have been warning about flaws in the system for years.

He criticised Jacqui Smith's handling of the situation and said the Home Secretary had a number of questions to answer:

• Why has the Home Office's response to warnings from the security services been to cut back the visa operation in Pakistan?
• Why are student visa applications from Pakistan being handled from Abu Dhabi, not Pakistan?
• Is she aware that high quality fake documents that will help applicants get visas are on sale for £100 in Pakistan?
• Will she confirm the "extraordinary fact" that the British High Commission in Pakistan estimate that half of all students to whom they grant visas disappear after reaching the UK?
• Will she confirm that one of the suspects in this case was allowed into Britain even though he had suspect papers?

Chris said Mrs Smith had "key issues" to address in relation to national security, and stressed, "What we need is a new Government if we are to sort out all of this mess."

Read the Shadow Home Secretary's response in full.