Border staff told: Redouble efforts

MINISTERS have come under pressure to employ more police and border staff to get to grips with immigration.

Veteran Tory Sir Edward Leigh, a former Home Office minister, insisted that the Government must “redouble” its efforts and also remove illegal immigrants from the UK.

In the Commons yesterday, Sir Edward called for more police and border officers and “quicker decisions”.

He told Home Office minister Brandon Lewis: “Everybody knows the difficulties the Government has with immigration from the European Union, but what we can’t understand is why after seven years of a Conservative government we have still not got to grips with immigration from the rest of the world.”

His comments came as senior officials told the Public Accounts Committee that, almost 18 months since the EU referendum, customs officials are still planning for life after Brexit.

Jon Thompson, chief executive and permanent secretary of HM Revenue and Customs told MPs staff were “waiting for a political decision” in Brexit talks before final decisions can be made.

And he admitted that when Britain did finally quit the bloc, the control systems in place would not be the best.

Delay

Border departments were planning with “a number of strategic variables” and would not have a scheme in place until April next year because they were “running multiple different scenarios”.

When Britain leaves, border systems at ports “will not be optimal in any way”, he added.

The delay was criticised by Tory MP Geoffrey Clifton- Brown, who said the departments had had over a year to devise solutions.