A new biography of the former prime minister by the celebrated investigative journalist Tom Bower claims Mr Blair ordered his Labour government not to publicly discuss the issue.

 "Asylum seekers should be allowed to stay in Britain. Removal takes too long and it's emotional."

Barbara Roche, immigration minister

 The book Broken Vows: Tony Blair - the Tragedy of Power alleges that the minister in charge of border control ruled against deporting failed asylum seekers because it would be too "emotional" to do so.

The book, being serialised in the Daily Mail, is also promising to reveal in the coming days:

 a 'devastating' dossier on how Mr Blair tricked members of his cabinet into going to war with Iraq

details of how he has earned tens of millions of pounds since leaving Downing Street in 2007 through lucrative deals with autocrats around the world

'the truth' about his relationship with Wendi Deng, the ex-wife of the media tycoon Rupert Murdoch