I suspect the immigration/asylum fiasco may be a deliberate NuLabor way of inflation control, at the expense of not-so-longer-term problems and costs. Like PFI and too-easy credit, the government (and especially G. Brown as chancellor) has forced us all to take a huge "mortgage" on the future to pay for facilities and services today - a great pity the mortgage advance has been frittered away so carelessly. Brown's UK is like a someone with a two houses (badly built) on 125% mortgages, a gas-guzzling (but unreliable and dangerous) 4X4 and expensive huge-screen TV (that is a fire-risk), all paid for by second and third mortages which are cripplingly expensive already, never mind in the future.

Anonymous, Manchester,

Labour should call themselves "Cheap Labour", bed friends of the capitalists if ever there were any.

Keith Bentham, Liverpool, u.k

The errors were made in good faith ?

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha !!!!!!!

Dave, Lincoln,

I suspect more Labour fraud. Are all those who were quickly given a passport after just five years in the country included in this 1.1 million? I strongly suspect not: they are probably counted as nationals. A million people were also given passports in Labour's ten year period.

John Jones, Battle, England

for a man who used to champion Mugabe and his regime in Zimbabwe presumably Hain is used to admitting his mistakes. Please could Hain go back to South Africa - and swiftly, he may actually be wanted there.

HG, swindon, Wilts

Shouldn't Hain be allowed to return to the only job he appears to have been moderately successful at , i.e. digging up sports pitches.

B. J. Carroll, Hong Kong, China

Peter Hain should have asked migration watch, they could tell him as they've been counting, we should put migration watch in power as they are on the ball, unlike the unelected government,
The government figures are wrong anyway, they're about 3 million out. Smiling Hain shoud get his act together.

preddo53, leeds, UK

as a former champion of Mugabe, and his regime in Zimbabwe, presumably Hain is used to making mistakes. Hain should return to his native South Africa - swiftly, he may actually be wanted there.

HG, swindon, Wilts

So is Mr Hain going to resign or indeed get the sack for being incompetent? I suppose this is the same limp wristed apology we have had for the Iraq war! When are they ever going to take responsibility for their departments and when do we hold to account these 'Untouchables'.

Craig Musgrove, Llandudno, Wales

How long have these cretins known of this information?
Did they know before Brown lost his nerve on a election?
How many more figures are missing or inaccurate?
There is no doubt that this government is inept, without trust, honesty or honor.
The 'enriching' of Britain has to stop but the Philbyites are not the people to do it.

Nigel Graham-Miller, Valencia, Spain