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Patel admits her new immigration rules would have excluded her own parents from coming to Britain

PRITI PATEL was forced to admit today that her own parents would likely have been denied entry to Britain under the government's proposed immigration rules.

The Home Secretary was grilled by Nick Ferrari on his LBC radio show, when he asked: “Your parents, I understand, came from Uganda and were very successful in setting up newsagents. They wouldn’t have qualified would they?”

Struggling to wriggle out of Mr Ferrari’s questioning, Ms Patel appeared to accept that the proposed system would have excluded her parents — although she claimed they would have been allowed in under asylum laws.

“Yeah, but also let’s not forget we are not changing our approach to refugees and asylum seekers, which is very different to a points-based system for employment,” she replied.

Ms Patel’s parents left Uganda in 1960 before the expulsion of Ugandan Asians by dictator Idi Amin in 1972.

The government’s proposals for a new immigration system, which will pass through the Commons in the coming months, closes Britain’s borders to low-paid workers.

Under the rules, foreign workers will be required to speak English and have a job offer with a minimum annual salary of £25,600.

In response to the radio interview, Labour MP Zahra Sultana accused Ms Patel of denying others the same opportunities enjoyed by her and her family.

“It’s morally bankrupt to pull up the ladder and deny others the opportunities you and your family have received,” she said on Twitter.

“The nasty party is really getting nastier.”

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