JACK Straw today promised to make public "as much as possible" of a Home Office inquiry into the murder of an Iraqi asylum seeker.

Farhan Samsuddin Hamad, 20, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday after being found guilty of stabbing his friend Mokhler Mostafa, 26, to death in a drunken frenzy in Infirmary Street, Blackburn on January 19.

Hamad - who denied murder and gave no indication why he killed his friend - will be deported when he leaves prison.

In January, Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary Mr Straw asked Home Secretary David Blunkett to launch an inquiry into the incident as there was concern about the lack of control on asylum seekers.

Mr Mostafa was supposed to be living in Warrington but had travelled to Blackburn to visit Hamad.

East Lancashire MPs Janet Anderson (Rossendale and Darwen) and Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley) have called for the results of the investigation by the Home Office to be made public.

But Mr Straw, a former Home Secretary, said some parts of it might be confidential.

He said: "I will be asking the Home Office what happened with the investigation I requested.

"I don't know what form it is in and it may not be possible to publish it as such. However, I will try to make public as much as I can.

"There have already been significant improvements in the procedures regarding asylum since January.

"There are now tighter controls on the movement of asylum seekers and the number of asylum seekers in Blackburn has reduced.

"Blackburn is soon to be a pilot scheme for even closer co-operation with the Home Office.

"Things are getting better but I shall be asking the Home Office what more they plan to do.

"I have already addressed a public meeting in Ewood - where there was standing room only - in February about problems there."

These included the stabbing of Mokhler Mostafa and the unconnected death of 17-year-old traveller Eamonn McDonagh 10 days later. His body was discovered behind the Moorings pub in nearby Bolton Road.

Mr Straw added: "I will be doing everything I can to reassure local people when I have spoken with the Home Office."