Way back in March, in a speech that, to say the least, was not well received in the party, Nick Clegg proposed that some people visiting Britain from “high risk” countries should pay a bond. He said:

One idea, which appeals to me, is a system of security bonds. And so I’ve asked the Home Office to do some work on it with a view to running a pilot before the end of the year.

The basic premise is simple: in certain cases, when a visa applicant is coming from a high risk country, in addition to satisfying the normal criteria, UKBA would be able to request a deposit – a kind of cash guarantee. Once the visitor leaves Britain, the bond will be repaid. Clearly, we need to look into the detail and seek a wide range of views, including from the Home Affairs Select Committee.

The bonds would need to be well-targeted – so that they don’t unfairly discriminate against particular groups. The amounts would need to be proportionate – we mustn’t penalise legitimate visa applicants who will struggle to get hold of the money. Visiting Britain to celebrate a family birth, or a relative’s graduation, or wedding should not become entirely dependant on your ability to pay the security bond.

And I would want a system that is welcomed by legitimate visitors rather than place a great burden on them. Done right, this would speed up the application process, giving UKBA greater confidence about people’s intentions, allowing them to make better, faster decisions.

At the time, it’s fair to say that I was less than impressed with this idea. At leat, though, I recognise that Nick was at least trying to make it easier for people to get into the country for a specific event. It was an alternative to a months-long appeals process which might mean that people would miss the event anyway. However, Theresa May decided to introduce a much more draconian version of it, a £3000 charge for everyone. This was about as close to Nick’s original idea as your average lettuce leaf is to an onion.

It’s hardly surprising, then, that Nick has put his foot down and blocked May’s plans, as the BBC reports.

A Home Office spokesman confirmed a Sunday Times report that the policy would be scrapped.

The decision is thought to have been taken after deputy prime minister Nick Clegg threatened to block it.

The BBC report contains Vince Cable’s criticism of the idea, too.

Let’s hope that this intervention by Nick Clegg, coupled with the scaling back of Tory plans to make landlords responsible for checking people’s immigration status and the scrapping of the awful Go Home poster vans is a sign of a more robust approach to Theresa May’s Home Office now that Norman Baker is ensconced there as Minister. While I remain uncomfortable with most, if not all, of the Immigration Bill going through Parliament, I recognise that Liberal Democrats are holding the Tories back in the policy areas where the two parties are a million miles apart in approach and policy.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings