AS yet another hot potato from abroad lands in Home Secretary Jack Straw's lap, he pledges that the latest - the plane-load of hijack hostages who turn out to be Afghan asylum seekers - will be sent back overseas sharpish and that he personally will deal with their applications to stay.
This is tough talk, designed for a public audience already upset at a ' soft-touch' Britain soaking up tens of thousands of often-spurious refugees and the latest being kept at their expense in hotel luxury after apparently taking part in a lawless ruse to get here.
But Mr Straw may find his tough talk damaging if he fails to live up to it - as he knows the law and the appeals process could allow these people to stay for years.
Yet he must somehow send a message to the world that Britain will be tough on hi-jacks and bogus refugees, otherwise the floodgates will open even more.
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