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Beleaguered Home Secretary Amber Rudd tonight refused to quit - despite a leaked memo revealing she knew last year her department had targets for immigration removals.

The embattled Cabinet Minister – accused of acting as a human shield for her predecessor Theresa May – previously insisted she had never agreed to specific targets.

A secret internal Home Office document referred to the ministry setting "a target of achieving 12,800 enforced returns in 2017-18", adding: "We have exceeded our target of assisted returns.”

The six-page file, prepared by Immigration Enforcement agency director general Hugh Ind last June, was said to have been copied to Ms Rudd as well as to Brandon Lewis, the then Immigration Minister, and a number of senior officials and special advisers.

(Image: AFP)

The memo went on to refer to progress made towards achieving a 10% increase in performance on enforced returns, "which we promised the Home Secretary earlier this year".

Ms Rudd, who has been battling criticism of her handling of the Windrush scandal, last night(FRI) apologised - but refused to quit as she launched a desperate last-ditch bid to save her job.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock)

The Home Secretary admitted there were “legitimate questions” she had to answer - and vowed to come clean to MPs on Monday.

In a series of of tweets, she said: “I will be making a statement in the House of Commons on Monday in response to legitimate questions that have arisen on targets and illegal migration.

“I wasn't aware of specific removal targets.

(Image: Getty)

“I accept I should have been and I'm sorry that I wasn't.

“I didn't see the leaked document, although it was copied to my office as many documents are.

“As Home Secretary I will work to ensure that our immigration policy is fair and humane.”

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said: "Amber Rudd is hanging by a thread to shield the Prime Minister from her responsibilities as the initial architect of this cruel and callous approach to migration, which resulted in the Windrush scandal.

“She failed to read crucial documents which meant she wasn't aware of the removal targets that have led to people's lives being ruined.

(Image: AFP)

“Another apology is not enough, she should take responsibility for chaos in the Home Office and resign.”

SNP home affairs spokeswoman Joanna Cherry said Ms Rudd's position had become "untenable".

She added: "If this secret memo is accurate then it suggests the Home Secretary is either utterly incompetent, or she knowingly lied to Parliament - either way Amber Rudd must go.”

Ms Rudd initially denied the Home Office had targets for removals when she was questioned by the Commons Home Affairs Committee probing the Windrush scandal.

However, after it emerged a 2015 inspection report made clear the practice did exist, she told MPs that while the immigration arm of the Home Office had used "local targets" they were "not published targets against which performance was assessed".