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Theresa May and the borders agency: boundary dispute Theresa May and the borders agency: boundary dispute
(6 months later)
Borders are man-made, arbitrary and – as Scotland's independence debate demonstrates – not eternally fixed even in an island nation such as ours. And yet the rich world's attachment to its boundaries is resolute, and becoming more so in hard times. With cheap travel, instant communication and persistent global inequality, the west exerts a draw on the rest of the world as irresistible as daylight to a bird. But after decades of apparently successful multiculturalism, the polls show that many remain fearful about new arrivals – and expect the government to keep Them away from Us.Borders are man-made, arbitrary and – as Scotland's independence debate demonstrates – not eternally fixed even in an island nation such as ours. And yet the rich world's attachment to its boundaries is resolute, and becoming more so in hard times. With cheap travel, instant communication and persistent global inequality, the west exerts a draw on the rest of the world as irresistible as daylight to a bird. But after decades of apparently successful multiculturalism, the polls show that many remain fearful about new arrivals – and expect the government to keep Them away from Us.
That is the backdrop of the run of speeches from all three party leaders that have – in different ways – shown a new toughness. It is not the immediate explanation for Theresa May's decision to disband the UK borders authority; the home secretary focused instead on dull logistics, such as the agency's unwieldy size and creaking IT. And there certainly have been specific managerial problems, such as the bulging backlog and attempt at concealment that the home office committee bemoaned this week. But the agency's short, troubled life has always been bound up with politics – politics that this latest overhaul of the architecture will barely touch.That is the backdrop of the run of speeches from all three party leaders that have – in different ways – shown a new toughness. It is not the immediate explanation for Theresa May's decision to disband the UK borders authority; the home secretary focused instead on dull logistics, such as the agency's unwieldy size and creaking IT. And there certainly have been specific managerial problems, such as the bulging backlog and attempt at concealment that the home office committee bemoaned this week. But the agency's short, troubled life has always been bound up with politics – politics that this latest overhaul of the architecture will barely touch.
The borders agency was created after New Labour's hard man, John Reid, as home secretary, made a priority of protecting himself from the administrative bumbling over foreign criminals that had done for his predecessor, Charles Clarke. The old ways of doing things were, Mr Reid proclaimed, "not fit for purpose". He fumbled around for something he could present as a fitness regime and hit on a mix of the Conservative rhetoric of the time – about a "dedicated border force" – and the formula of an executive agency that could handle both visas and wider administration at a safe distance from ministers. A few months later Gordon Brown chucked in a promise that there would also be law enforcement functions, to answer Tory charges that Mr Reid's agency was too distant from the police.The borders agency was created after New Labour's hard man, John Reid, as home secretary, made a priority of protecting himself from the administrative bumbling over foreign criminals that had done for his predecessor, Charles Clarke. The old ways of doing things were, Mr Reid proclaimed, "not fit for purpose". He fumbled around for something he could present as a fitness regime and hit on a mix of the Conservative rhetoric of the time – about a "dedicated border force" – and the formula of an executive agency that could handle both visas and wider administration at a safe distance from ministers. A few months later Gordon Brown chucked in a promise that there would also be law enforcement functions, to answer Tory charges that Mr Reid's agency was too distant from the police.
Fit for purpose or not, the new administrative architecture never did much soothe the politics. A year into Mrs May's tenure, the pendulum began swinging against the agency as she brought certain functions back under her direct control. Then came the suspension of Brodie Clark, the border force chief, for relaxing checks that Ms May believed she should have been consulted about. Now the home secretary goes further – bringing all UKBA functions back under her direct authority because the agency is "not good enough". It remains to be seen whether a return to central command will achieve a "fitness for purpose" which was elusive last time, but the odds are against any fix proving anything more than a temporary solution until the politics are addressed.Fit for purpose or not, the new administrative architecture never did much soothe the politics. A year into Mrs May's tenure, the pendulum began swinging against the agency as she brought certain functions back under her direct control. Then came the suspension of Brodie Clark, the border force chief, for relaxing checks that Ms May believed she should have been consulted about. Now the home secretary goes further – bringing all UKBA functions back under her direct authority because the agency is "not good enough". It remains to be seen whether a return to central command will achieve a "fitness for purpose" which was elusive last time, but the odds are against any fix proving anything more than a temporary solution until the politics are addressed.
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