The home secretary told MPs that she did not support a policy putting targets ahead of people

Amber Rudd was forced to admit that the Home Office set performance targets for deportation less than a day after she claimed not to know they existed, prompting renewed calls for her resignation.

The home secretary was dragged to parliament this morning after Labour was granted an urgent question over a 2015 report from the immigration watchdog, which emerged this morning and revealed that the Home Office had a target of 12,000 “voluntary departures” for 2015.

This contradicted Ms Rudd’s testimony yesterday before the home affairs select committee, when she said: “We don’t have targets for removals.”

Senior Tories made clear that they would resist attempts by the opposition to oust her. The home secretary appeared on the frontbench supported by five other cabinet ministers: