The British government must not allow women awaiting deportation from the United Kingdom to “dream up” an excuse they are pregnant to delay their removal, Immigration Minister Mark Harper said yesterday.

Mr Harper said changing the current policy of detaining and removing expectant mothers who have no right to be in the UK and allowing them to give birth before their deportation would create an incentive for some detainees to falsely claim they were pregnant.

He told the House of Commons he feared many women would “stoop” to claiming they were pregnant if ministers allowed those expecting a child to remain in the UK.

Our objective is to remove them from the UK

His comments came after Tory MP Richard Fuller said it was morally wrong to hold pregnant women awaiting deportation in immigration detention centres.

He said there were currently about 100 cases in the UK, telling Mr Harper expectant mothers should no longer be held by the Government.

But Mr Harper insisted women could use pregnancy as an excuse, telling MPs the Home Office had no right to force women to take a pregnancy test.

“Our objective is not to let people out of detention, it is to remove them from the United Kingdom.

“That is the point. The fact is that these women have no right to remain in the United Kingdom and they should leave.”