Amber Rudd resigns - as it happened: Sajid Javid appointed new home secretary
Home secretary steps down after increasing pressure over handling of Windrush scandal
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Your support makes all the difference.Sajid Javid has made his debut in Parliament as the new home secretary following the resignation of Amber Rudd.
As he arrived at the Home Office to take up new his job earlier in the day, Mr Javid vowed to make sure people caught up in the Windrush scandal are treated with “decency and fairness”.
Ms Rudd became the fifth departure from the cabinet since last year’s snap general election after admitting she had “inadvertently” misled MPs over the existence of targets for removing illegal immigrants.
The MP for Hastings and Rye stepped down on Sunday evening, a day before she was due to make a statement in the House of Commons on the targets and illegal migration, as she faced increasing pressure over the handling of the Windrush fiasco.
Sajid Javid will make Theresa May's life easier – but not for long, our political sketch writer, Tom Peck, writes.
Diane Abbott repeatedly declined to spell out her position on the deportation of illegal immigrants as she was pressed on the issue eight times in a live TV interview.
Labour's shadow home secretary told ITV1's Good Morning Britain she did not back an amnesty of the kind floated by Boris Johnson and said it was "not Labour's position" that up to a million people believed to be living illegally in the UK should be made to go home.
But when presenter Piers Morgan pressed her for more detail, the shadow home secretary said only that she was working on a policy which would make the handling of migration "fairer and more efficient".
Ms Abbott said: "The immigration and nationality department is not fit for purpose. That's why many of these issues have arisen. I don't blame the staff, but it is an department that needs reviewing and reorganising and the right level of support.
"We are working on immigration policy. Obviously, post-Brexit everybody has got to consider immigration policy. But the main plank of what we want to do is have a much fairer system - fair rules and a reasonable management of migration."
She suggested viewers would be "surprised" Mr Morgan did not want to discuss the Windrush scandal.
But the presenter said they had already spent some time talking about that issue, telling Ms Abbott: "I'm not trying to trap you, I'm just trying to ask you a simple question.
"What do we do about illegal immigrants in this country? Do we let them stay? Boris Johnson has suggested an amnesty, you say no amnesty, so the logical fallout from that is that we get them all out of the country, isn't it?"
The pair continued their spat later on Twitter, with Ms Abbott saying viewers would judge for themselves whether Morgan was trying to trap her.
Morgan insisted he was not, and accused the shadow home secretary of failing to give "a straight factual answer to this fundamental question".
Theresa May praised Amber Rudd for her work as home secretary when she was asked what responsibility she herself should take for what went wrong.
She said: "First of all I was very sorry when Amber Rudd made the decision to resign.
"I think she can look back with pride on her time of office as home secretary.
"If you look at some of the issues she has dealt with, responding to the terrorists attacks, keeping us safe, work she has done on domestic violence, on modern slavery and the work she has done with the internet companies internationally - that is again helping to keep us safe.
"Throughout all of this she has acted with integrity and with compassion and with selflessness."
When Ms May was asked why she accepted Ms Rudd's resignation, she said: "Amber spoke to me last night and I accepted her resignation.
"Amber resigned because of answers, responses, information she had given to Parliament which proved to be inaccurate."
The prime minister was also asked why she had not spoken out about the immigration targets, and replied: "When I was home secretary we did have targets, targets for ensuring we were dealing with illegal immigrants and I think if you ask any member of the public they will say that they do want Government making sure that people who are here illegally are removed and are not able to stay in the UK.
"It is only fair on ordinary working people, people who work hard, who contribute to see that those people who come here illegally, who perhaps haven't contributed, aren't able to make the same use of services."
Asked if she allowed Ms Rudd "to fall on her sword" to protect herself, she replied: "Amber resigned because of information that she had given to Parliament which proved to be inaccurate.
"She has a good record as home secretary, she can look back on her term of office with pride and in all of that she has acted with compassion, integrity and selflessness."
When Theresa May was asked about Mr Javid taking over Ms Rudd's role, she said: "I think he will be an excellent home secretary.
"Sajid has already shown his capabilities as a minister through the various ministerial posts he has held, most recently at the ministry of housing, communities and local government."
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