Britain’s leftist Labour Party government has put forward a resident of Finland as its candidate for border watchdog, who suggested he may work from home in the Nordic nation.
John Tuckett, 73, was announced last month as the government’s “preferred candidate” for the role of Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI).
However, his nomination has come into question after he told MPs in a confirmation hearing that he is a “resident of Finland” and suggested he would prefer a “60/40” split between Britain and Finland if he is chosen as the UK’s next border watchdog, dividing his time between being “visible” for appointments and “dedicated time wherever” for “quiet reflection” and drafting reports, the Daily Mail reported.
While Mr Tuckett said that he could work five days per week in London if necessary, he said that in his current role as Immigration Services Commissioner, he works fully remotely after having shut down his UK office in favour of working over a thousand miles away from the country.
In an exchange with Labour MP Chris Murray in the home affairs select committee on Monday, Tuckett was asked if he lived within “commuting distance” of London, to which he replied: “No, I don’t. I have a family home in Finland, and I come across to this country whenever I need to.”
“You’d be expecting to inspect the UK borders and immigration without being resident in the UK?” Murray questioned.
“No, I work in UK, and I would be in UK,” Tuckett said, but added that he is not a resident of the UK, admitting: “I’m resident in Finland”.
In an exchange during Prime Minister’s Questions on Tuesday, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch criticised the selection of Tuckett, accusing the government of not being “serious” about immigration if its proposed border watchdog doesn’t live in the UK.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer noted, however, that Tuckett had originally been appointed in 2019 under a Conservative government and had shut down his office in favour of remote work in Finland under the Tories. Starmer also claimed that Tuckett would work full-time from Britain if appointed.
It comes as the Labour government is attempting to rebrand itself as tough on immigration amid the rise of Nigel Farage’s populist Reform UK party, which in a little over half a year after the last election, has surpassed the Labour Party in the polls, in large part due to Reform’s strong stance on borders.
Part of this push has seen the Home Office publish footage of illegal migrant deportations this week; however, critics have noted that the claimed 19,000 removals under Labour pale in comparison to the estimated million-plus illegals living in the country. Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe said that there should be deportation flights taking off every hour.
Nevertheless, the removals have sparked a backlash from within the Labour Party and from pro-open borders advocates. Labour MP Clive Lewis accused the government of “enabling the mainstreaming of racism” by showing migrant deportations and the leftist NGO Detention Action described it as an “act of performative cruelty”.
On Wednesday, the government said it would be issuing guidance to immigration officials that illegals should not be eligible for citizenship.
Yet, former immigration minister Robert Jenrick noted that Labour is seeking to repeal legislation from the former Tory government, which prohibited illegals from applying for citizenship.
Jenrick wrote on X: “Starmer is repealing the 2023 law which blanket bans illegal migrants from becoming British citizens, but says he’ll sort it with some new ‘guidance’ to civil servants. Pathetically weak.”