Troubled Home Office

Tony Blair said on the BBC's Politics Show yesterday that Britain's prisons are "full to bursting point" but suggested that the public should be relieved that dangerous prisoners are being locked up for longer. The PM also said that the Home Office is facing some big problems.

Indeed, the Home Office and its problems have dominated the headlines for weeks now. And it does seem to be getting worse by the day with new revelations of its undone work and nonfulfillment of its responsibilities appearing daily.

John Reid keeps saying that it will take time, maybe up to 2 years, to reform the Home Office. That might be true but isn't that an admission on government's behalf that previous Ministers were not "fit for purpose" to lead the Home Office? It must have been a complete mess without any clear political direction under Mr Reid's predecessors. The current flood of mistakes shows the Home Office's inefficiency of ensuring its vital role as the guarantor of its citizens' safety.