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Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

It is good of my hon. Friend to invite me to consider that issue; I have been having a careful look at it for a few hours, as I have been sitting in the Chamber. He picks up a perfectly legitimate concern; we do not really know, and the Minister did not tell us, what the definition of"““close ties…with the United Kingdom””" might be. One is immediately brought in mind of the Chindamo case. Although the teenager who murdered the headmaster Philip Lawrence is not a British citizen, the courts have held that he has, for one reason or another, close ties with this country and therefore is not susceptible to deportation. I do not want to argue the merits or demerits of that particular court decision, but it illustrates the point that my hon. Friend draws to our attention. I do not propose to have a vote on these new clauses, not because I do not think it proper to do so, but simply because there is not time.