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Border check row: UK minister's claims denied
Source: Agencies |
November 16, 2011, Wednesday
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BRITAIN'S former border chief yesterday denied accusations by Home Secretary Theresa May that he acted without authority in relaxing some passport checks during the busy summer tourist season.
The dispute between Brodie Clark and May, one of the government's most senior officials, comes during a widening scandal about the government's handling of border controls. May is under pressure to reveal the extent to which she was responsible for the lapses in border security over the summer.
May suspended Clark earlier this month, accusing him of relaxing the checks beyond what she had agreed to at 28 British ports and airports, including at London's Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest.
But Clark, giving evidence yesterday to lawmakers probing the scandal, denied May's account and insisted he never went further than instructed. "I was meticulous in holding to the conditions and terms that the home secretary had put in place," he told a parliamentary committee. "I am no rogue officer. Nothing can be further from the truth."
Clark said May had signed off the changes he authorized, and that May and other Home Office officials were aware of the latest changes because he gave them weekly briefings.
The career civil servant had said that May wrongly accused him and gave an inaccurate description of events. He is planning to sue the government, which he says forced him out of his job.
Opposition lawmakers were angered at the lack of clarity and demanded that May personally answer questions in Parliament. Yesterday, May did not attend a House of Commons emergency debate, instead sending a deputy to field questions.
The dispute between Brodie Clark and May, one of the government's most senior officials, comes during a widening scandal about the government's handling of border controls. May is under pressure to reveal the extent to which she was responsible for the lapses in border security over the summer.
May suspended Clark earlier this month, accusing him of relaxing the checks beyond what she had agreed to at 28 British ports and airports, including at London's Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest.
But Clark, giving evidence yesterday to lawmakers probing the scandal, denied May's account and insisted he never went further than instructed. "I was meticulous in holding to the conditions and terms that the home secretary had put in place," he told a parliamentary committee. "I am no rogue officer. Nothing can be further from the truth."
Clark said May had signed off the changes he authorized, and that May and other Home Office officials were aware of the latest changes because he gave them weekly briefings.
The career civil servant had said that May wrongly accused him and gave an inaccurate description of events. He is planning to sue the government, which he says forced him out of his job.
Opposition lawmakers were angered at the lack of clarity and demanded that May personally answer questions in Parliament. Yesterday, May did not attend a House of Commons emergency debate, instead sending a deputy to field questions.
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