Hughes quits as Immigration Minister

Beverley Hughes has been forced to quit as Immigration Minister following claims she misled Parliament during the on-going row about fast track visas.

Her departure comes amid claims that the Home Office approved visa claims which were backed by forged documents. Members of the Opposition have been calling for her resignation for days, but, until now, she has had the support of the Home Secretary and Downing Street.

Tony Blair's official spokesman said Ms Hughes had quit after it became clear she had given a "misleading impression - albeit unwittingly" to Parliament.

Ms Hughes is due to give a statement in the House of Commons at 1230 today (April 1).

Tory leader Michael Howard called the immigration system a "shambles" and demanded an independent inquiry into claims of a "scam" over business visa applications from Romania and Bulgaria.

The latest allegations broke when a consul in the British Embassy in Bucharest, e-mailed the Conservatives with his concerns. The documents showed that the Home Office was warned about forgery worries 18 months ago over the migration scheme for prospective business people.

Previous allegations had revealed that immigration officials in Sheffield were told to waive checks on applications for the European scheme.

An internal inquiry concluded that local officials were trying to clear backlogs and Ministers did not know about their decisions.

In a Commons debate this week Ms Hughes rejected calls for her to quit, saying her conscience was clear.

She said: "I am neither incompetent nor dishonest and I intend to carry on doing my job as long as the prime minister and the home secretary want me to."

Home Secretary, David Blunkett also told MPs: "Let me absolutely clear: Beverley Hughes is not going, she's not resigning, she's not going to be sacked."

Sir Andrew Green, from Migration Watch UK, said Ms Hughes had been forced out because the immigration system was in "chaos".