Top immigration inspector sacked for warning personal jet flights weren’t checked
The UK’s prime immigration inspector has been sacked after claiming “high risk” flights are touchdown within the UK with no safety checks.
Ministers reacted with fury after David Neal, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, branded it a “scandal”. The Government stated it “categorically rejects” the claims, however Labour has branded it “total Tory chaos” on borders.
In an announcement the Home Office stated: “We have terminated the appointment of David Neal, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, after he breached the terms of appointment and lost the confidence of the Home Secretary.
“The planned recruitment process for the next Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration is in progress.”
Mr Neal, who was appointed in 2021 however was already as a consequence of depart subsequent month after the Government blocked his reappointment, had referred to as for a probe into whether or not checks have been being carried out on personal jets arriving within the UK. He advised the Daily Mail: “This is a scandal, and incredibly dangerous for this country’s border security. There should now be a rapid independent inspection of general aviation across the country.”
He advised the newspaper that simply 21% of “high risk” flights arriving at City Airport in London have been checked by Border Force officers. This imply that passengers on greater than 540 flights final 12 months didn’t have their passport inspections.
Legal migration minister Tom Pursglove, going through questions concerning the allegations by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, advised the Commons: “When it comes to the questions that she raises around these flights at London City airport and the information that has been put in the public domain, the Home Office categorically rejects these claims by David Neal.”
He went on: “It’s deeply disturbing that information which has no basis in fact was leaked by the independent chief inspector to a national newspaper before the Home Office had the chance to respond. We are urgently investigating this breach of confidential information in full in the normal way.”
He stated a report by Mr Neal was submitted to the Home Office final week, however claimed the problem was round knowledge recording. Mr Neal is known to have submitted 15 reviews on varied points round border safety, none of which have been printed.
Speaking to The Times on the weekend, he additionally claimed the Home Office had issued 275 visas for individuals who stated they have been working at a care dwelling that did not exist. He went on to say {that a} quarter of overseas care employees have been working illegally in different industries.
Ms Cooper stated: “This is total Tory chaos on borders and immigration. A series of Conservative Home Secretaries have sought to bury uncomfortable truths revealed by the Chief Inspector about our broken borders, and shockingly they are still sitting on 15 unpublished reports – stretching back to April last year. The Home Secretary must now publish those reports in full.
“The Conservatives have lost control of our borders, are seeking to hide the truth, and are putting border security at risk.”
