The UK’s independent immigration watchdog, David Neal, has published a number of reports that were withheld by the government for nine months. Among the findings, Neal called UK border protection “neither effective nor efficient”, and e-passport gates at airports were staffed by “distracted” officers who lacked basic equipment. The reports said that resources were inconsistently deployed and border posts were left unmanned while staff went to seek additional help. MPs have criticised the delay as the reports are typically released within eight weeks of being completed.
Neal lost his job last week after details of the reports he wrote were leaked to the press. Two more reports are expected to be published in the next eight weeks. Neal, as the former Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), said that the asylum system was a “burning platform that required radical action”. Neal questioned why the Home Office did not take action to address the increasing backlog of cases before Rishi Sunak promised to clear them in December 2022. He added that the Home Office’s handling of Afghans who came to the UK after the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021 was chaotic, with officials forced to contact some of the evacuees by phone to ask if they had permission to stay in the UK.
Moreover, Neal’s reports also addressed the use of hotels to house unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and families, indicating that “basic bread-and-butter checks” on hotel staff had not been carried out. Neal also found that just 21% of private jets classified as high risk that came into London City Airport were inspected by immigration officials last year. Immigration minister Tom Pursglove rejected these claims, but Neal insisted that he stood by his report.
While the Home Office acknowledged that airports were “complicated”, it aimed “to provide a professional and adaptable service that protects the public by providing a secure border, while facilitating legitimate travel and trade.” Labour shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper accused Tory ministers of “sitting on these devastating reports for months in a bid to hide their utter failure to protect our borders,” while a No. 10 Downing Street spokesperson downplayed suggestions that the delay was deliberate, stating that the government had “wanted to publish [the reports] as swiftly as possible following the necessary and appropriate due diligence.” The Home Office’s promise to publish all overdue reports as soon as possible has been kept, with all 13 reports now published and final two reports from the former Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration expected to be published within the eight week period. A process of appointing Neal’s replacement is already underway, a Home Office spokeswoman confirmed
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More