When I revealed to the Daily Mail the lack of security at London City Airport in February, it cost me my job.
The Home Secretary James Cleverly claimed to have lost confidence in me.
Instead, Mr Cleverly has chosen to listen to his civil servants rather than me, his independent inspector, with a track record for speaking truth to power and exposing grievous failings within the Home Office.
The situation at London City Airport didn’t need explaining – it needed exposing.
High-risk flights were not being checked on arrival in the country. Passengers were coming into our capital city, walking down the steps of private jets and into waiting cars without showing their passports, having their bags checked or their luggage scrutinised.
In the face of national threats including terrorists, organised crime, people-trafficking and exploitation, no right-minded person would think that this is acceptable border security.
The Daily Mail’s exposé of the glaring border security failures at London City Airport has yet again shone a light on the Home Office’s ineffectiveness.
David Neal (above) was Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration 2021-2024
James Cleverly has chosen to listen to his civil servants rather than me, his independent inspector, with a track record for speaking truth to power and exposing grievous failings within the Home Office, writes David Neal
Similar practices may still be happening today. More importantly, they may be happening at other airports that handle private and chartered aircraft, known as ‘General Aviation’.
When I sought to raise this as an urgent matter with the Minister, the meeting took a week to arrange – before being cancelled altogether.
To carry out my duties and to expose this startling gap in our border security – and after three years of my reports being suppressed by the Home Office – I was left with no choice but to speak to the Daily Mail.
Now my findings are being released at a time when, with Parliament about to go into its Easter recess, they will receive limited coverage.
And it is not the first time such tactics have been used to bury unfavourable reports.
Though it is heavily redacted, what we can read reveals that the national General Aviation team were aware that guidance was not being adhered to – and that their approach was not in line with national security policy.
Border Force managers at London City Airport were unable to demonstrate any form of standardised checking.
This is accepted by the Home Office in their response. Three of the four recommendations made in my report have been accepted by the Home Office.
And it accepts that there has been poor record-keeping in relation to General Aviation flights at London City Airport.
But the excessive redaction of the report prompts a series of grave questions. Were Ministers aware all along that High-Risk General Aviation flights were not being vetted properly when arriving at London City Airport?
James Cleverly has previously promised police chiefs that he will ‘praise in public’ and ‘criticise in private’.
I sincerely hope that behind closed doors he will be rebuking his staff and holding his mandarins to account.
Border Force managers at London City Airport were unable to demonstrate any form of standardised checking (File Image)
Now that I have been sacked, Ministers have no way of knowing how widespread the failings at airports around the country really are.
As a result of my inspection, the Home Office should launch an independent inspection of the security surrounding General Aviation as a whole.
This is essential to find out if the border security failings are wider than just London City Airport.
I have another question that I constantly ask myself: Is the country safer as a result of my actions? I categorically believe that it is and I do not regret exposing the failings in border security to the Daily Mail – even though it cost me my job.
David Neal was Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration 2021-2024.
