BNP members working in immigration service
By politics.co.uk staff
An official investigation into those working in the immigration services has begun after it was revealed two members of staff are British National party (BNP) members.
One guard was revealed to be a member after his name was discovered on the membership list released on the internet last year.
Another has been suspended while his links to the party are investigated.
The only two services where membership of the BNP constitutes grounds for dismissal are the police and the Prison Service.
Anyone who works in immigration or removals must sign a declaration saying they are not a member of any far-right group, including the BNP.
The UK Border Agency said: “All allegations are investigated and the UKBA can revoke an individual’s accreditation to work for the agency or have any contact with detainees.”
Labour MP and anti-racist campaigner Diane Abbott told the Independent – which broke the news following a long-term immigrant rights campaign – that the use of private contractors for detention and deportation was at the root of the problem.
“If it is true that staff employed to work with asylum-seekers and immigrants are members of the BNP then it is yet another sign that the Home Office are allowing for the mistreatment of immigrants in this country,” she told the newspaper.
“For years, campaign groups and my colleagues and I have been pointing out that hiring private contractors to work as immigration guards is a bad idea. It seems we will now have more proof of this.”
The suspended security guard is being investigated by a private contractor.
