The recently ousted borders watchdog in the UK has raised concerns about potential security lapses within the Home Office.
David Neal, who was removed from his position as the Independent Chief Inspector of borders and immigration, has urged James Cleverly to instigate reforms within the department to prevent further security breaches.
He stressed that his dismissal created a void in oversight, as no one took his place.
Consequently, he warned that crucial immigration policies, such as the controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, may now proceed without adequate scrutiny.
With no successor in place, ministers are left to rely solely on the judgment of senior officials, despite past failures to identify security risks.
Additionally, it’s anticipated that some of the 15 reports authored by Neal’s team, which have been withheld from publication, will be released by the government this week, shedding light on undisclosed matters within the department.
Neal, in an article, wrote that the Home Secretary must overcome “desperately poor leadership” in the department.
“Without the independent scrutiny of a chief inspector, minsters will depend on the judgment of senior officials who in the past failed to expose security risks in the response to the small boats operation at Tug Haven in Dover in 2022 or the appalling conditions at Manston detention center, Kent, later that year. I implore [the new ministerial team] to look over the heads of their officials and find out what is really happening on the ground; the security of our country and the confidence of the public demands it.”
David Neal
“While [Cleverly] will understandably be defending the Home Office in public, he will be gripping his folk and shaking things up in private,” he wrote.
Neal Sacked For Doing His Job
David Neal was dismissed via video call on February 19, 2024, by a senior civil servant. His termination stemmed from allegations of breaching his contract by disclosing security shortcomings at City Airport to the media.
Neal contends that he spoke out due to his inability to convey the findings to a minister and the lack of interest from civil servants.
He stated that fifteen reports submitted by his office to the Home Office since April 2023 remain unpublished.
Neal’s sudden exit has left several investigations unfinished, including inquiries into conditions in Rwanda and asylum accommodations such as the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset and Wethersfield in James Cleverly’s Essex constituency.
He wrote, “With no independent chief inspector to publish the reports, and my ability to comment gagged by the continued binding terms of my contract, these critical areas of inspection remain open, unsatisfied, and unresolved.”
In addition, he noted that several other scheduled investigations, such as the examination of immigration detention, the processing of asylum seekers arriving via small boats across the English Channel, and the Home Office’s methods for assessing asylum seekers’ ages, will not be launched.
“There will be no work commissioned to provide scrutiny, at this critical time, of new material produced by the Home Office in relation to Rwanda,” he wrote.
Neal was sacked after providing data to a news agency which purported to show UK Border Force failed to check passengers on hundreds of private jets arriving at City Airport.
He said the alleged lack of checks meant criminals, illegal immigrants, trafficking victims, and extremists may have entered the UK without undergoing scrutiny by the authorities.
However, the government strongly denied the allegations.
About 40 refugee charities have highlighted the absence of a new borders watchdog, emphasizing the need for independent oversight.
READ ALSO: UK Alters Climate Commitments, Accused Of Goalpost Shifting
