To clarify the issue of documentation.

2009 – Destruction of documents begins

In June 2009, the UK Border Agency approved the business case for disposing of millions of paper records.

The Home Office told us that it was then that the landing cards – or “registry slips” as they’re officially known – were earmarked for destruction. The work began in December of that year.

Alan Johnson was the Labour Home Secretary at the time. When asked if he knew that the registry slips were being destroyed, he said: “No, it was an administrative decision taken by the UK Border Agency.”

2010 – Registry slips destroyed

Although the decision was made in 2009, it wasn’t until October 2010, when the Conservative-Lib Dem Coalition government were in power, that the registry slips were actually disposed of. The Home Office described this to us as an “operational decision”.

Theresa May was Home Secretary at the time, but we haven’t seen evidence either way to suggest that she knew about, or signed off, the decision.

Of course none of this mattered until...

2012 – Hostile environment policy introduced

In May 2012, Theresa May declared: “the aim is to create here in Britain a really hostile environment for illegal migration.”

And sure enough, the Immigration Act 2014 brought in new powers to help the Home Office and other government agencies make life difficult for illegal migrants.

But many have claimed that those same policies have been unfairly damaging and intrusive to people who are here legally, including the Windrush generation.

The more astute amongst you will spot the close proximity of the destruction of the papers and the introduction of the hostile environment and the fact that it was during May's watch that this happened. The more cynical of us can draw our own conclusions. Some idiot will say it was pure coincidence.