BRITAIN says it is “not starting enforced returns yet by any means” of Zimbabwean asylum seekers, despite sending immigration officers on a fact-finding mission to the country last month.

Britain will normalise its returns policy “as and when the political situation develops” in Zimbabwe, Henry Bellingham, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs told the House of Commons on Tuesday.

The formation of a power sharing government between President Robert Mugabe and former opposition rivals Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara has eased political tensions in Zimbabwe, prompting the UK Border Agency to take preliminary steps to resume the deportation of failed asylum seekers.

But with Mugabe saying the country will go to elections next year, asylum campaign groups say the threat of a major outbreak of violence as witnessed in June 2008 cannot be ruled out.

Leicester East MP Keith Vaz (Labour) asked Bellingham: “Given the critical situation in Zimbabwe, does it remain the government's policy that Zimbabwean citizens who have claimed asylum here will be removed to Zimbabwe?”

Bellingham replied: “The UK Border Agency is looking to start work on a process aimed at normalising our returns policy to Zimbabwe as and when the political situation develops. However, we are not starting enforced returns yet by any means.”

The UKBA dispatched a team of immigration officers to Zimbabwe last month to assess the political situation ahead of a planned court case in October when the Home Office will go to court to argue that Zimbabwe is now stable, and seek the setting aside of the November 2008 Court of Appeal decision in the country guidance case of RN (Zimbabwe) which effectively prevents removals to Zimbabwe.
                                                               
In RN, the Court of Appeal said “those at risk on return to Zimbabwe on account of imputed political opinion are no longer restricted to those who are perceived to be members or supporters of the MDC, but include anyone who is unable to demonstrate support for or loyalty to the regime or Zanu PF.”