The bill was meant to be a triumphant riposte to right-wing critics of the UK Conservative government’s perceived failure to stop migrants from crossing the Channel from France to the UK in small boats.
But last week, the introduction of a contentious new law – which would give the government the right to criminalise, detain and deport asylum seekers – had been overshadowed by a row triggered by the suspension from the BBC of the TV sports presenter Gary Lineker, who was accused of breaking BBC guidelines
