18th November, 2011, 1:34 pm John Reid: I didn’t say “not fit for purpose” Share this article: John Reid’s tenure as Home Secretary is perhaps best known for his quote that the department was not “fit for purpose”. Except, he revealed last night, that he’d never actually said the phrase. Watch the video below: Tags: Immigration / John Reid / Home Office / Subscribe to our daily email More from LabourList Analysis A breathing space Budget When John Healey was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was a surprise for those who had… Emma Burnell 29th October, 2026, 9:13 am News Voters welcome Budget energy measures, but demand more action on cost of living Voters welcome the government’s energy bill support, but think more needs to be done at pace to help… Daniel Green 29th October, 2026, 6:00 am Comment ‘Investing in culture builds confidence in communities’ When it comes to building communities, culture is not a nice-to-have, or an optional extra to be tacked… Callum Anderson MP, Chris Curtis MP & Emily Darlington MP 29th October, 2026, 6:00 am
Analysis A breathing space Budget When John Healey was appointed as Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was a surprise for those who had… Emma Burnell 29th October, 2026, 9:13 am
News Voters welcome Budget energy measures, but demand more action on cost of living Voters welcome the government’s energy bill support, but think more needs to be done at pace to help… Daniel Green 29th October, 2026, 6:00 am
Comment ‘Investing in culture builds confidence in communities’ When it comes to building communities, culture is not a nice-to-have, or an optional extra to be tacked… Callum Anderson MP, Chris Curtis MP & Emily Darlington MP 29th October, 2026, 6:00 am
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