Inquiry into border force passport check claims

Biometric passport It is alleged that officials were authorised not to carry out some biometric passport checks The home secretary is launching an independent inquiry into claims the UK border force ceased carrying out some passport checks during the summer. It is alleged staff were told to relax identity checks on non-EU nationals. Brodie Clark, head of the force and a board member of the UK Border Agency, has already been suspended over the allegations along with two others. Home Secretary Theresa May has now launched an official investigation into the matter. It will be led by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine. Mrs May will make a statement in the Commons about the allegations on Monday afternoon, the Home Office confirmed. In July, the Home Office said EU national checks could be reduced in "limited circumstances". Ministers had agreed their biometric passport's could be checked "upon the discretion of a UKBA official" instead of automatically. Home Secretary Theresa May's reaction to the allegations was "incredulity and fury", a source told the BBC. However, shadow Home Office minister Chris Bryant said ministers had told borders staff to "cut some corners". He continued: "It seems ministers' advice in July was precisely to do that - to cut some corners because there was a shortage of staff. "Theresa May can huff and puff as much as she wants and suggest that she's furious, but if the decision was hers about the numbers of staff or the cutting of corners then she's got to stand up and face the music." Staff working for the UK border force are responsible for checking passports and conducting immigration raids. Senior UKBA official Graham Kyle, who is director of operations at Heathrow Airport, is one of the two others suspended. Biometric passports contain a digital image of the holder's face which can be used to compare with the printed version and check the passport has not been forged. On Friday, the Home Affairs Select Committee reported that 124,000 deportation cases had been shelved by UKBA.