Quango reviewing Rwanda plan may be axed
Whitehall body seeking to scrutinise Priti Patel’s policy could be scrapped after government review
‘Ministers will be able to make a assessment of its future. Whether this is the right body, the right set-up – all that needs to be looked at’
‘I will not be deterred from acting to deliver on the changes the British people voted for to take back control of our money, laws and borders’
A WHITEHALL body that announced a review of the accuracy of official documents on Priti Patel’s Rwanda policy could be overhauled or even scrapped to reduce the number of quangos.
The Sunday Telegraph understands that the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) has been earmarked as part of a Government push to slim down the size and overall number of quangos and ensure that every public body is “a necessity.”
Any move to scrap the ICIBI would be likely to spark a fierce clash with opposition parties in Parliament, where ministers would need to overturn the section of the Borders Act, which was introduced by Labour in 2007, that established the body.
The disclosure comes as Priti Patel is seeking an independent reviewer to examine the work of the ICIBI.
The role was designed to meet a recommendation by Wendy Williams, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, who carried out an inquiry into the Government’s handling of the Windrush scandal and concluded that a review was needed of the body’s “remit and role”. She said the review should consider giving the ICIBI “more powers with regard to publishing reports.”
But a Whitehall source suggested that the review could lead to the body’s wings being clipped, saying: “Once the review is completed ministers will be able to make a full and frank assessment of its future.
“Whether this is the right body, the right set-up – all that needs to be looked at. We must be the only country in the world that spends taxpayers’ money scrutinising what we’re doing instead of letting the Opposition do it.”
The Government has been criticised by opposition MPs over Ms Patel’s deal with Rwanda, which will allow migrants who arrive in the UK illegally to be sent to the African state to be considered for asylum and resettlement.
The timescale and criteria for relocating them is set out in new Home Office guidance designed to head off legal challenges by including a “formal, robust and comprehensive” assessment of Rwanda as a “safe country to which migrants can be sent.”
Last week, the ICIBI appealed for experts on Rwanda to take part in a review of the Home Office documents on Rwanda.
It said the work would involve examining the Home Office’s country policy and information notes (CPIN) on the country to identify any errors “or omissions of fact”, and “assessing the extent to which information from source documents has been appropriately and accurately reflected.”
David Neal, the current Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, and a former head of the Royal Military Police, was appointed by Ms Patel last year. His predecessor, David Bolt, issued a damning report in March 2021, stating that a major outbreak of Covid at barracks holding Channel migrants was “inevitable,” having found it “unfit for human habitation”.
Last week Ms Patel admitted that legal challenges may delay the removal of Channel migrants to Rwanda.
She said: “This is just the first stage of the process and we know it will take time as some will seek to frustrate the process and delay removals.
“I will not be deterred from acting to deliver on the changes the British people voted for to take back control of our money, laws and borders.”