Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, should be concerned because his actions might unintentionally help Nigel Farage’s Reform party. This comes as the Home Office’s handling of asylum claims and deportations has been exposed as a complete mess, showing just how poorly managed it is.
Consider this: Is there any other country in the world where a convicted criminal can successfully avoid deportation by arguing that their son loves chicken nuggets and will only eat them if they are made in the UK? Or where someone can avoid being sent back to Grenada after overstaying their visa by claiming that the Caribbean weather would be too hot for their new Latvian husband? Or where a family of six from Gaza can settle in the UK by applying through a scheme specifically designed to help refugees from Ukraine?
It’s hard to believe, but back in 2006, the then-Home Secretary, John Reid, famously said his department was “not fit for purpose.” Nearly 19 years later, it seems nothing has changed. This legal chaos can be traced back to the UK’s membership in the European Convention on Human Rights, particularly the controversial loophole that allows people to claim the right to a family life. How not being able to eat Albanian chicken nuggets or having to use sunscreen in Grenada fits into this is beyond understanding.
While most of these outrageous examples of inaction can be blamed on the previous government, the new Labour government is also making a big mistake in this area. Last week, it was revealed that their preferred candidate for the role of Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, also known as the ‘Borders Watchdog,’ is John Tuckett. During a confirmation hearing with a panel of MPs, Tuckett said he would spend most of his time in this important £130,000-a-year job working from home… in Finland!
Tuckett, who is 73 years old, has a home in the Finnish Lakeland near a city known as “the sauna capital of the world.” While working from home is common, working from a sauna takes it to a whole new level. Defending this ridiculous arrangement, Tuckett pointed to his current role as Immigration Services Commissioner, where he closed down offices and moved to a “fully remote” model, which he called a “win, win, win.”
Well, it certainly has been a win for the six Gazans who managed to settle in the UK using a scheme meant for people living 1,200 miles away in Ukraine. If staff had actually been in their offices, this might not have happened. Keir Starmer tried to calm the situation by saying the watchdog would be based in the UK. But this story is far from over, and it’s absurd that Tuckett was even considered for the job in the first place.
Controlled migration, illegal immigration, and asylum seekers are consistently the second most important issue for voters, right after the economy. This kind of chaotic handling of the issue is like handing Nigel Farage an open goal, giving him an easy opportunity to gain support.
