James Brokenshire has moved into the controversial immigration minister hot-seat, spearheading new legislation which will landlords and letting agents to check the status of immigrant tenants.
He replaces Mark Harper, who quit at the weekend when it was revealed he employed an illegal immigrant to clean his home. Harper's controversial career has also included the Go Home' anti-illegal immigrant advertising campaign and the now-abandoned idea of selling public forests.
Brokenshire's new brief includes checking on the implementation and effectiveness of the new Immigration Bill. It obliges landlords and agents recording the migrant status of tenants - if they fail to do so, fines of up to £3,000 are likely to be levied.
The RICS has already described the proposals as unacceptable because agents and landlords are being used to deliver [the government's] immigration policy while the Residential Landlords Association has warned that the policy will force up agents' fees to tenants and landlords.
Belvoir has been more outspoken, criticising the proposal with this statement: The proposal will not work in practice. Employers have been required to make similar checks but it has made no real difference to the numbers of illegal immigrants in the country. For a government committed to reducing the burden of regulation, it is ironic that they are now seeking to impose a significant regulatory burden on landlords, making them scapegoats for the UK Border Agency's failings.
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