A furious row has broken out between the Home Office and the UK Borders watchdog after the outgoing head of the immigration monitoring body said “dangerous high-risk” aircraft are landing at a major airport without proper checks.
Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, David Neal, said UK Border Force officials failed to properly vet “hundreds” of passengers arriving on private jets at London City Airport last year.
He told the Daily Mail just 21 percent of incoming planes deemed high risk were checked, when the percentage should be 100 percent. The lack of scrutiny potentially leaves Britain open to organised crime, trafficking and even terrorism.
Mr Neal, a former career soldier who is leaving his position, spoke to the publication after filing a damning report to Home Secretary James Cleverly.
He said: “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.
Mr Neal continued: “I’ve been involved in protecting this country all my working life.
“It would untenable to see this scandal go unaddressed until the end of the year. There will be no-one in this position to investigate whether these serious problems at London City airport are prevalent at other airports around the country.”
The Home Office said it “categorically rejects” the claims made by Mr Neal.
Responding to an urgent question from Labour in the Commons on Tuesday, Tom Pursglove, who is the Home Office’s minister for legal migration, said: “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.”
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said ministers had been “repeatedly warned about border security risks on private flights”, telling MPs: “The Prime Minister may just think it’s all his own mates but there are real risks from organised crime, money laundering, drugs, weapons smuggling, trafficking and even terrorism.”
Mr Pursglove insisted Border Force performed “checks on 100 percent of scheduled passengers arriving in the UK and risk-based intelligence-led checks on general aviation”, adding: “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.”
