Ex minister Damian Green says he was unaware of the decision to destroy the landing cards of Windrush migrants.

The MP was immigration minister in 2010, but says he was not told of the decision which has triggered a major political row and led to calls for an inquiry.

“I didn’t know of the decision to destroy the landing cards. Governments don’t have access to the records of previous administrations so it never came up for discussion,” he said.

Mr Green became minister in 2010 when he took on the job in May of that year following the general election. He stayed in post until September 2012, when he became policing minister.

Theresa May has said the decision over the landing cards was taken by Labour in 2009.

It has disputed this saying the Home Office had earlier said the decision was taken in 2010.

The row centres on some children of Caribbean migrants who settled in the UK from the late 1940s to the 1970s and had been declared illegal immigrants and threatened with deportation.

A Home Office task force is now looking at 113 cases involving complaints of those who have been under threat of deportation.

Prime Minister Theresa May has twice apologised for the controversy and insists none of those who had been told to leave or threatened with deportation would be forced out.

A former senior civil servant says there should be an inquiry into the controversy. Lord Kerslake said the decision would have involved ministers as the Borders Agency was effectively part of the civil service and took its advice from ministers.