memo

A spokesperson for Gordon Brown said he "would not have been shown the memo" from 20 May 1999 and he would have been copied in as a "formality".

The cuts would affect the agency’s ability to support some of Metro’s “major rail and bus-only lane projects” ahead of the Olympic Games, according to the memo.

Humanitarian assistance would face cuts of 54 percent, while global health funding would fall by 55 percent, the memo says.

The policy memo allows judges to fast-track and close cases without a hearing.

Citing “rampant fraud and meritless claims,” the administration last month issued a memo ordering sanctions and stricter oversight of immigration attorneys.