The former inspector of borders and immigration has described the Home Office as “dysfunctional” and needing reform.
But in an interview with the BBC’s “Today” podcast, Mr. Neal said, “my conscience is absolutely clear” and claimed he had “paid the price” for highlighting failures with the system.
Mr. Neal said, “The Home Office is dysfunctional, the Home Office needs reform.”
He appeared to suggest the problem was institutional and pre-dated the appointment of Mr. Cleverly, who took over from Suella Braverman last year.
Mr. Cleverly said he had met Mr. Neal the week before and he told the committee, “The work he does is important, we do take it seriously, and ensuring that we do respond in a timely manner is something that the chair of the committee has raised, and it’s something that I take seriously, not just as a professional courtesy.”
‘There Will be no Scrutiny of Small Boats’
In his BBC interview Mr. Neal was unequivocal, “I’ve been sacked. So there will be no scrutiny of small boats, there will be no scrutiny of adults at risk in detention which is a controversial area, there will be no publishing of the Rwanda material.”Mr. Neal, a consultancy director with a military background appointed to the role by then-Home Secretary Priti Patel in March 2021, was due to end his tenure on March 21, 2024.
During his time in post, the former borders and immigration watchdog had repeatedly raised concerns the Home Office was too slow in publishing his reports. He had also questioned why his contract had not been renewed for a second term, which had been the custom with his predecessors.
He told The Times last month the Home Office had issued 275 visas to a care home that did not exist and 1,234 to a company that stated it had only four staff when given a license to operate.
Home Office Says Inspector’s Reports are Only a ‘Snapshot’
A Home Office spokesman said, “It is the job of the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration to identify challenges in our system, including those proposed by Border Force, so we can take action to address them.”“But by their nature, each of the ICIBI reports will only be a snapshot of what is going on and will not reflect the changes we make as a result of their findings,” he added.
The spokesman said, “A programme of work is already well under way to reform and strengthen Border Force’s capabilities. This is delivering on the prime minister’s pledge to make our structures and resources as strong as possible.
“The work the Home Office, Border Force and the NCA (National Crime Agency) is doing with international partners to stop the boats is another part of our Border Force reform, and is already having a return with small boat arrivals down by a third when Mr Neal was sacked for leaking sensitive information he was told was inaccurate,” he added.
