Shami Chakrabarti says forthcoming Immigration Bill a "shocker" which could lead to a "race relations nightmare"

Shami Chakrabarti, the director of Liberty, has warned that the government's forthcoming tough new Immigration Bill is a "shocker" and could lead to a "race relations nightmare", the Telegraph reported on Sunday.

As The Times reported yesterday, the forthcoming Bill is intended to make the UK a more "hostile environment" for migrants.

The Telegraph notes that the Bill will require doctors and landlords to check that their patients or tenants have the right to be in the UK.

Chakrabarti warned that this would lead to a racial tensions, with people being turned away on the basis of their skin colour.

She told the Telegraph: "If you are saying that private landlords are going to be in trouble if they give a room or a flat to somebody who is an illegal they will err on the side of caution."

"If they don't want to be penalised, if they start to err on the side of caution, they will start to checking people who look brown regardless of whether they are British or not."

"For Black and Asian Britsh kids, it is hard enough to find a flat or a room that you can afford, and now you won't be able to because you are not white."

She called the Bill a "shocker" and said Liberty would work with MPs and Peers to help defeat its progress in Parliament.

The Telegraph had earlier reported that the Bill "represents one of the most wide-ranging and ambitious pieces of legislation since the Coalition took office, spanning six Whitehall departments: health, local government, business, and transport, as well as the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice."

In particular, the Bill will target housing and health care for migrants and appeal rights for migrants facing deportation.

The Bill is expected to be put before Parliament this week.