Three-hour Heathrow queues with officials’ gaze on Russia

Border Force officials left Heathrow in chaos when they left their posts to watch England. John Holland-kaye, Heathrow’s chief executive, said “lack of staff ” during England’s second round game against Colombia on July 3 led to long queues, with arrivals having to wait for up to three hours.

There were 28 immigration officers on duty, but just 11 desks manned, Mr Holland-kaye told Paul Lincoln, head of the Border Force, in a letter. “This seems to me to be a failure of leadership,” he wrote.