Clegg enters immigration debate with visa bond call

Published on 22/03/2013 00:00

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is to call for a bail-like ­system of security bonds to ­tackle alleged visa abuse in his first speech on immigration as deputy prime minister.

The bonds would be paid as a cash guarantee from visa applicants coming from high-risk countries and would be repaid once the visitor leaves the UK.

Mr Clegg will unveil the proposal as he outlines his vision for a “tolerant Britain, zero-­tolerant of abuse” at the liberal think-tank, the Centre Forum.

He will pledge, as part of the coalition government, to “lay the foundations for an immigration system that embodies this nation’s instincts and its values” as he attacks the previous Labour government for “grossly” mismanaging the issue.

He will say: “We are grappling with the difficult challenges in our immigration system. Brick by brick, we are rebuilding it. Day by day we are making sure, quite simply, that it works.

“All the British people ask is for a system they can have confidence in. We hear that, and we are delivering it.”