David Blunkett
Home Secretary · 2001–2004
In one sentence
Home Secretary when 'managed migration' became operational policy.
Blunkett inherited Roche's turn and ran it. Work permits and schemes for overseas workers expanded. He talked tougher on asylum than Straw — claims did fall from the 2002 peak after visa controls on Zimbabwe, Jamaica and others — but the legal-migration channel stayed open, and he was in post for the decision that the UK would not use transitional controls on the A8. He later sat in the Lords and voted against the Rwanda scheme.
We are a nation of immigrants — and we should celebrate it.
What they did
2001–2004
Work-permit growth
Continued the expansion of economic routes while asylum was being 'sorted.' Net migration kept climbing.
2004
A8 opening
Cabinet, including the Home Secretary, chose immediate labour-market access. The forecast was wrong by an order of magnitude.
2024
Lords: against Rwanda
As Lord Blunkett he voted with Labour peers to wreck or delay the Safety of Rwanda Bill.
How they voted
Blocked it / opened it means they voted against tighter rules, or for the Human Rights Act. Backed it means they voted for a tightening bill.
| Bill | What they did | Note |
|---|---|---|
HRA 1998 1998 | Opened it | Labour whip. |
IAA 1999 1999 | Aye | Labour whip. |
Rwanda Act 2024 2024 | Blocked it | Labour peer, against the bill. |
Sources: Home Office historical statistics; Lords divisions on Rwanda Bill 2024