A FORMER Tory minister who devised the controversial "Go Home" vans aimed at illegal immigrants has announced he will run for the Tory leadership.
Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean, is the 12th candidate to join the race to replace Theresa May.
He told the Daily Telegraph he was "quite happy to acknowledge that in this contest I am the underdog"
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He added: "We've seen basically the same faces saying the same things that they've been saying for the last three years," he told the Daily Telegraph.
"A number of them have tried to position themselves as fresh faces but I'm afraid they've sat around the cabinet table sharing the responsibility with the prime minister."
The candidates will be whittled down to a choice of two by Conservative MPs, before the final vote is put to party members.
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A new Tory leader - and Prime Minister - is expected to be in place by the end of July.
The bookies favourite is currently Boris Johnson.
Other MPs in the running are: Brexit minister James Cleverly; Environment Secretary Michael Gove; Health Secretary Matt Hancock; Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt; Home Secretary Sajid Javid; Former Leader of the House of Commons Andrea Leadsom; Housing minister Kit Malthouse; Former Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey; Former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab; and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart.
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In 2014, Mr Harper was forced to resign as Immigration Minister after it emerged he had employed an illegal immigrant to clean his London flat.
he apologised to then Prime Minister David Cameron that he had not "checked more thoroughly" after discovering that the woman, who he first employed in April 2007, did not have permission to work in the UK
It was particularly embarrassing as he had led on the 'Go Home' campaign where vans toured areas of London with the message "In the UK illegally? Go home or face arrest" next to a picture of handcuffs.
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