Sacked UK borders inspector’s review reveals lack of jet security checks at London airport

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An inspection at a busy Londonairport recognized “a significant risk to security” after it revealed that jets are touchdown within the UK with out present process correct security checks.

The newly revealed review was written by former impartial chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal, who was sacked final month by the Home Office after publicly sharing his fears about the issue.

Shadow dwelling secretary Yvette Cooper stated the report is “scandalous” and exposes a “Conservative Government which has lost control of our borders and our border security”.

A spot-check inspection carried out by Mr Neal’s workforce at London City Airport in east London earlier this yr discovered “failings at a local, regional, and national level” in Border Force’s response to basic aviation – outlined as any civil flight not working to a selected and revealed schedule.

The inspection discovered Border Force workers at the airport missed targets on the quantity of flights they had been purported to examine in particular person.

But a lot of the important thing info from the inspection – together with what number of basic aviation flights had been bodily met by Border Force workers – was redacted when it was revealed by the Home Office on Tuesday.

“This is shocking and something is clearly very wrong… this needs to be addressed by the Home Office as a matter of urgency,” Mr Neal’s foreword to the report stated.

More than 3.4 million passengers handed via the worldwide airport in 2023, based on its web site.

A Home Office spokesman stated some info had been eliminated for “national security reasons”.

Border Force steerage designed to maintain the nation protected directs that every one basic aviation flights “identified as high risk” are met by Border Force workers, besides in distinctive circumstances.

“At London City Airport, only (redacted) were met in 2023,” the revealed report learn, after inspectors examined Border Force information at the London airport.

Independent inspectors who visited London City Airport on January 31 and February 1 additionally noticed “a lack of formal training for Border Force staff”.

Responding to the inspection, Border Force director-general Phil Douglas stated: “We will never compromise on border security, and carry out robust security checks on those arriving into the UK, including both scheduled and notified general aviation flights.

“As I previously explained to Mr Neal, some of the information in this report is factually inaccurate. Border security checks were carried out on all general aviation arrivals at London City Airport.”

Responding to the report, Ms Cooper stated the failings may imply “allowing high-security-risk flights to swan into the country with zero in-person checks, despite risks from drugs, guns and people smuggling”.

She added: “Even now ministers are hiding the true scale of the flaws, redacting much of the vital information, and slipping the reports out when Parliament can’t respond.

“The public have a right to get answers. We need to know how many high-risk flights arriving at City Airport were not checked in person as they should have been.”