Home Office plans to deny immigrants access to data 'are illegal'

Digital rights campaigners threaten legal action if data protection bill clause is enacted

Plans to deny millions of people the right to access immigration data held on them by the Home Office are illegal and will be challenged in court, the government has been told.

Organisations representing up to 3 million EU citizens living in the UK and digital rights activists have written to the home secretary, Amber Rudd, giving notice that they will take legal action if a clause in the data protection bill is enacted.