The home secretary is wrong, the decision not to deport an illegal immigrant had nothing to do with the pet cat.

We could find no evidence that this has ever been successfully put forward as a reason for an asylum seeker to be granted the right to remain in the UK. A similar claim made in 2011 by Theresa May was widely debunked at the time.

A claim by the Home Secretary that an illegal immigrant could not be deported because of his pet cat is wrong, according to England's top judges.

Home Secretary Theresa May has been criticised for claiming that an illegal immigrant avoided deportation because of his pet cat. / Her Cabinet colleague Ken Clarke said he had been "surprised" by the claim and could not believe it was true. / And human rights campaigners said Mrs May should get "her facts straight".