COMMENT:

So what the Karel Sroubek case hung on was the insistence by Iain Lees-Galloway, and the Prime Minister, that there was something so stupendous in the files that we simply couldn't know about, that would make it all clear as to why what appeared to be a catastrophically bad decision was actually made.

The Prime Minister told us to read between the lines, we did. It would seem the claim was his life was in danger in the Czech Republic.

Even if that was ever true, so what? Why was that our problem? Why, when we knew he lied to get into the country, why, when he hung out with the gangs, imported the drugs, and ended up in jail, did Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway think that deserved residency?

And we came to all that information early - in fact it was weeks ago. We were faster than the Government. We had all the facts and we concluded there was nothing here to see, there was no magic bullet.

This "absolute discretion" was absolute bollocks.

And then it got worse - Lees-Galloway hadn't read the file properly, he hadn't asked for legal advice, he'd taken at best 45 minutes to make the call. He had painted himself well and truly to be inept and incompetent.

But still I said, I was more than prepared for the rabbit in the hat. It looked like incompetence, it looked like a political nightmare, Lees-Galloway looked out of his depth, but if he pulls that rabbit where it all makes sense then fair enough.

There was no rabbit, there wasn't even a hat, it wasn't even a trick. It was just laziness and arrogance by a buffoon who wouldn't accept his work and carry the can for it.

Lees-Galloway put weight on a plea from Sroubek's wife, who turned out to be estranged. He didn't know Sroubek had travelled back to the Czech Republic.

But who cares? By placing too much weight on a bogus fear for his life, whether he travelled, didn't make any difference anyway.

All that nonsense about him being no real threat, about being a decent bloke reformed, so what? He lied to get here, then peddled drugs, and is in prison. That prevents residency in anyone's minds - anyone's except Lees-Galloway.

So it's off to court, which means more money and more time. And what if the Government loses? Does anyone pay for that? Of course they don't.

This honest and transparent Government is suffering the emperor's clothes scenario, they're full of it.

And what of all the cases for residency that are genuine? That don't involve drug dealing, lying, and jail time? Having set the bar so low, do they all get to stay? Of course they don't.

This as it turns out, as we said all along, was not complex. It was open and shut, except given Lees-Galloway is so useless, he took the gun and blew his foot off.

And even then refuses to accept it is him, and him alone, that should be reflecting from the back benches.