It has been a difficult few weeks for the Tories – the Ashcroft affair, talk of splits, erratic poll numbers and doubts over their economic policy. But at last they can enjoy some good news: no lesser global statesman than Robert Mugabe has offered David Cameron his endorsement.

“We have always related better with the British through the Conservatives than Labour,” Zimbabwe’s president said today. “Conservatives are bold, [Tony] Blair and [Gordon] Brown run away when they see me, but not these fools, they know how to relate to others.”

Mugabe fell out with the British government when, under his land reforms, he encouraged Zimbabweans to seize the farms of British descendants. After Mugabe was accused of rigging the 2002 election, Blair imposed sanctions on the Zimbabwean leader and some of his associates, banning their travel ban and freezing bank accounts.

Today Brown restated the British government’s position telling the visiting South African president Jacob Zuma, involved in brokering Zimbabwe’s unity accord, that the sanctions would not be lifted#

Read more – http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/04/robert-mugabe-david-cameron-conservatives

UKBA – Quarterly statistics covering immigration and asylum were published by the Home Office today.

These statistics include asylum applications, total removals for those illegally in the UK and migration from eastern Europe for the period October to December 2009.

Figures show that applications for asylum have dropped in the fourth quarter of 2009 to 4,765 – a 30 per cent reduction compared to the same quarter in 2008, and the lowest level since the second quarter of 1992.

Decisions on asylum cases have also risen 36 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2008, with the grant rate for asylum falling to 13 per cent.

Applications from eastern Europeans to work in the UK under the Worker Registration Scheme fell to 28,495 in Q4 2009, compared to 30,600 in Q4 2008 and 52,765 in Q4 2007.

The total number of removals and voluntary departures from the UK has decreased slightly from 67,980 in 2008 to 64,750 in 2009 – reflecting the fall in asylum intake.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published earlier today, also show that immigration from the ‘A8′ accession countries of the European Union has fallen, and that long-term immigration to the UK remains stable at 518,000 in the year to June 2009 compared to 531,000 in the year to June 2008

Read more – http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2010/February/home-office-stats