UK: Justice Secretary Ken Clarke ramped up the war of words with Home Secretary Theresa May today by accusing her of making “laughable and childlike” comments about the Human Rights Act.

The pair became involved in a public spat that dominated much of the Conservative Party conference after Mr Clarke publicly questioned Ms May’s claim - made in her conference speech - that an illegal immigrant escaped being deported because he had a pet cat.

Mr Clarke claimed his cabinet colleague had enraged judges and officials by turning the case into a “parody”.

He told the Nottingham Post: “It’s not only the judges that all get furious when the Home Secretary makes a parody of a court judgment, our commission who are helping us form our view on this are not going to be entertained by laughable child-like examples being given.

“We have a policy and in my old-fashioned way when you serve in a government you express a collective policy of the government, you don’t go round telling everyone your personal opinion is different.”