Mobile Van "Go Home Adverts" Targeted At Africans Etc To Be Scrapped

Theresa May has confirmed to MPs that the Home Office's controversial "go home" vans are not going to be extended nationwide, after a pilot study in London found them "too much of a blunt instrument".

She said there were some returns on the experiment but politicians should be willing to say if something was not working.

The full evaluation will be published shortly but it is believed that only one illegal immigrant agreed to go home – and that was as a result of reading about the vans in the Guardian.

She said the experiment trialled in parts of London in July was not going to be extended during the second reading of the immigration bill. The vans warned illegal immigrants to go home or face arrest.

The decision is a blow to Mark Harper, the immigration minister, who said last week on BBC1's Question Time that they might be extended. May had always been more reluctant to embrace the idea, including at home affairs select committee last week.

The decision led to another row on Tuesday between the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives on responsibility for the decision to scrap the scheme.

The Lib Dem president, Tim Farron, tweeted "we did it", as other party sources claimed that Norman Baker, the new home office minister, had pressed for the Go Home vans not to be extended.

Farron said: "It is right that this pilot scheme is scrapped and that these vans will not been seen on our streets again.

"The vans represented the worst kind of divisive politics and it seems only one immigrant went home because of them. This is a failed project and the Home Office should hold their hands up and admit it was wrong both practically and morally.

"It is important that our borders are protected and secure but this policy – driving a van around some of the most diverse communities in London – is not the way to deliver that."

Liberal Democrats said that they opposed the vans as a matter of principle. But Conservative sources said the decision had been taken by May after an evaluation showed the vans had not been effective in persuading illegal immigrants to leave the country.

The business secretary, Vince Cable, had described the vans as stupid, and had been criticised by UKIP and Labour.

Julian Huppert, a Liberal Democrat home affairs committee member, said the vans had demonised people that legitimately were in the country.

Gavin Barwell, the Conservative MP for Croydon, praised May's announcement saying it is "the right decision not to continue ad vans aimed at illegal migrants", adding there are "much better ways of tackling illegal migration eg today's immigration bill".