Circuit error messages must have flashed before Priti Patel’s eyes when it emerged that Olympic star Mo Farah is an “illegal immigrant”.
It will be impossible for her to compute that she can’t vilify the man and have him deported because, unfortunately, he is a national hero. Had his life story taken a less triumphant turn, Mo would have now been facing the full wrath of the Home Office.
It would not matter that he was trafficked here and is actually a victim. Ultimately, as with most asylum seekers, he would be allowed to stay but the system is designed to ensure he would be put through hell first.
