Border Agency's £140,000 beano (on the day it was revealed that 300,000 foreigners are wrongly let into the UK)

It would have left most organisations reeling with embarrassment and shame...but not the UK’s Border Agency (UKBA).

On the day that a Home Affairs select committee was told 300,000 foreigners were being wrongly allowed into Britain every year because officials found it quicker to grant visas than turn them down, immigration officers turned up to enjoy a lavish bash to reward their ‘excellence’. 

Last Tuesday, more than 200 staff attended the black-tie ‘morale-boosting’ party held at London’s Natural History Museum. 

They arrived with invitations mocked up to look like UK entrance visas inside fake British passports, and enjoyed a night of entertainment, dinner and dancing with taxpayers footing much of the £140,000 bill.


It was the inaugural party of what is to be an annual ‘Recognising The Best’ staff awards event.

Or, as the Home Office spin would have it: ‘We will be a proud agency that gets the best from its people. Our values are the bedrock of our organisation and we expect to be held accountable by reference to them.’

But Frank Field MP, co-chairman of the Commons Cross-Party Group On Balanced Migration, claimed the event showed ‘an extraordinary lack of judgment’.

Guests started to arrive at the Natural History Museum at 7pm and as their ‘visas’ were checked one member of staff declared they were all looking forward to ‘getting really boozed up’.

A stage had been constructed for the ‘awards’ ceremony and staff were treated to a three-course meal and a night-long free bar beneath the famous T-Rex skeleton in the museum’s Grand Hall.

Last night, a spokesman for the Home Office claimed the figure of 300,000 wrongly issued visas was inaccurate and defended the timing and the extravagance of the party.

He said: ‘Most large organisations allocate a budget to motivational staff activities and the UKBA consider this to be an appropriate way to recognise the hard work of their staff.

'We are currently undergoing the biggest shake-up of our immigration system for a generation and our frontline staff play a crucial part in all of this.

‘This is about letting them know that the dangerous and difficult work they do every day is appreciated.’

The spokesman added that the evening was partially funded by five sponsors business consultancy groups Accenture, Capgemini and Deloitte, as well as ClearSprings Property Management and The Angel Group, which provide accommodation to asylum seekers.

He said: ‘These companies help deliver key strategic programmes and were keen to be involved in the event.’

All five are handsomely rewarded for their ‘help’ in delivering these programmes throughout the year.

It is understood they jointly picked up the venue hire of £17,000 and the costs of the food and drinks. The rest of the expenses including accommodation and transport for the 200 guests, the staging of the awards, entertainment and printing of the invitations, menus and brochures were funded from the public purse.  continues here

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