UK Border Force boss suspended for 'stopping checks' to shorten queues

Brodie Clark. Photo: PA

The man in charge of ensuring British borders are secure has been suspended over claims he ordered passport checks that might spot terrorists to stop over summer - so that tourists wouldn't complain over long queues.

UK Border Force boss Brodie Clark - thought to be on £135,000 a year - has been suspended while he is being investigated by former Met police officer David Wood after officials were allegedly told no to check the biometric chips of passports belonging to non-EU nationals.

These chips are important because they provide a back-up to to confirm the the person holding the passport is who they say they are.

There are also claims that officials stopped cross-referencing personal details and fingerprints against the Home Office's Warnings Index, which contains the names of terror suspects and illegal immigrants who must be refused entry to the UK in the interest of public safety.

Border controls at ports and airports, including London's Heathrow and the UK check in Calaos - were compromised between July and the beginning of November.

Home Secretary Theresa May has also ordered the suspension of two of Mr Clark's colleagues, Graeme Kyle, the director of the UK Border Agency at Heathrow, and Carole Upshall, director of the Border Force South and European Operation.

Labour's Keith Vaz, chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, told The Sun: 'These developments are extraordinary in that they involve such senior members of the UK Border Agency.

'The Border Police are supposed to keep people out, not let people in.'