James Cleverly has been accused of ‘shameful evasion’ after censoring a highly critical report which exposed new failures in Britain’s porous border.
Labour said the Home Secretary had acted ‘irresponsibly’ and covered up the truth in an official report by former chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal.
The Mail first revealed Mr Neal’s concerns last month over ‘high-risk’ private jets and chartered flights being allowed to land in Britain without passengers undergoing passport checks.
The watchdog was then sacked on Mr Cleverly’s orders after going public.
The Home Office finally published Mr Neal’s report on Tuesday but in a heavily-redacted form – with 69 sections censored.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, in a letter sent to Mr Cleverly yesterday, said: ‘You once again shamefully tried to evade scrutiny over disturbing failings in Britain’s border security.
‘You and your ministers have… tried to hide this report, to deny its findings and to redact any information that might contradict the claims that Home Office ministers have made.’
Miss Cooper said of the redactions: ‘Your determination to try and hide away from public challenge over border security failings is irresponsible.’
The Labour frontbencher called for an ‘urgent independent review of border security around private flights’ and accused Mr Cleverly of ‘putting Britain’s border security at risk’.
Mr Neal’s report warned there had been security failures at ‘national level’ in the handling of private and chartered jets.
Last month, the Home Office was accused of attempting to ‘bury bad news’ when it dumped 13 reports by Mr Neal – exposing a series of failings in immigration and border security – on the same day as the findings of the inquiry into Sarah Everard’s abduction, rape and murder by a serving police officer.
Miss Cooper’s letter described that move as ‘unacceptable and irresponsible’.
Mr Cleverly, in a written reply to Miss Cooper’s claims, said: ‘The Government takes the redaction of material from independent reports seriously and I disagree with the characterisation that by redacting information we are evading scrutiny.’
He said redactions were only made for national security reasons or where it may ‘jeopardise individual safety’.
The Home Secretary said it was ‘categorically untrue… that high-risk aircraft are landing in the UK without security checks’.
Mr Cleverly did, however, offer to arrange an official briefing for the shadow home secretary on ‘Privy Council terms’, which cannot be discussed in public.
Border Force chief Phil Douglas has insisted it performs ‘robust security checks on those arriving in the UK’.