Border blunders

It is not helpful that this quango does still not have, after five months, a permanent chief executive. This lack of leadership does not instill confidence.

Nor does a culture where letters to MPs are not signed off by senior managers – such arrogance perpetuates the belief that the UK Border Agency is beyond scrutiny.

It is not. And nor should it be. For, while this seemingly dysfunctional organisation is, remarkably, on course to clear the backlog of 450,000 pending asylum cases by this July, it has only done so at a considerable price to British society and taxpayers.

Only nine per cent of claimants, according to a new Parliamentary report, had their applications rejected – proof, if any was needed, that an effective amnesty was in place for those who had the misfortune, or otherwise, to be caught up in this process.

In many cases, insufficient checks were carried out on the legitimacy of applicants.

Yet an astonishing 74,500 cases have been archived as the applicants cannot be found and it is unknown whether they are still in the UK, have left the country voluntarily – or are dead.

Put in perspective, the population of the city of Wakefield was just over 75,000 when the last census was completed. That is how many people have been effectively ‘lost’ by the organisation that has been tasked with protecting Britain’s borders, and ensuring that the Government’s strict immigration criteria is implemented in full.

Is it any wonder, therefore, that public debate on immigration has become so toxic when the UK Border Agency is still not fit for purpose.