Migration whistle blower suspended

A whistle blower who revealed how tens of thousands of eastern European immigrants have been allowed to stay in Britain was suspended from his Home Office job today.

Civil servant Steve Moxon, 48, lifted the lid on a secret "open door" policy which, he claimed, allowed immigrants to stay with only the barest examination of their documents.

Mr Moxon has been suspended from checking applicants for a scheme that lets in migrants if they have money and a business plan.

He claimed the scheme let eastern Europeans claim the right to stay here by presenting only their passports and a short "business plan" with no detailed costings or proof of financial backing. Home Secretary David Blunkett ordered an investigation into the claims, and the Government denied issuing any instructions to ignore strict rules on administering the scheme.

Mr Moxon suggested the scheme was designed to avert controversy over a feared influx of migrant workers by keeping the official numbers down.

Mr Moxon said he and his colleagues were told to fasttrack applications and that undeserving applicants had been granted residency.

The Home Office said Mr Moxon's suspension was "an internal matter".