16/05/2014

UKIP Candidate Accused Of Hypocrisy After Immigration Raid

UKIP's candidate for the Yorkshire and the Humber region, Amjad Bashir, has been accused of hypocrisy after an immigration raid on his restaurant resulted in seven people being arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

In June, authorities carried out a raid on a premises in Manchester.

The family have denied any wrongdoing, and UKIP has said the restaurant will appeal against any fines likely to be imposed, claiming that visas and passports of the workers may have been forged.

UKIP has famously criticised what it calls the UK's "open borders" immigration policy and repeatedly stated that it wants the country to leave the EU and stamp down on illegal immigration.

The story was first reported by The Times, and it is understood that three days after the raid, Mr Bashir stepped down as a director of the company.

He does, however, remain a shareholder and continues to help run the restaurant.

In a statement, the Home Office confirmed seven people had been arrested at the premises in question "for a variety of immigration offences". A civil penalty notice was served after the raid.

(CVS)

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