David Cameron 'very concerned' over border force claims

Prime Minister David Cameron is "very concerned" about reports that border controls were relaxed, No 10 says. Three UK Border Agency officials were suspended over claims staff were told to relax checks on non-EU nationals. Union officials said they believed the change of policy had been officially sanctioned. The PM's official spokesman added that Mr Cameron had "full confidence" in Home Secretary Theresa May as she prepares to make a statement to MPs. Labour have demanded to know whether anyone posing a risk to national security was allowed to enter the UK during that period. Mrs May has ordered an independent inquiry into the allegations. Brodie Clark, head of the UK border force and a board member of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), is among the three people to be suspended. In July, the Home Office said checks on EU nationals could be reduced in "limited circumstances", and their biometric passports checked "upon the discretion of a UKBA official" instead of automatically. But it has been alleged Mr Clark told staff not to carry out checks on the biometric passports or fingerprints of thousands of people from outside the EU, as well as relaxing checks against watch lists - aimed at flagging up people "of interest" to border staff. Mrs May's reaction to the allegations was "incredulity and fury", a source has told the BBC. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has written to Mrs May to ask how many terror suspects or illegal immigrants may have arrived during the period covered by the claims.Ms Cooper said the second step was to ensure the independent inquiry had a wide-enough remit to fully investigate "the actions of the Home Office, ministers and the effect of resource cuts on UKBA decision-making". The third step was for the Home Office and UKBA to publish all documents and correspondence relating to the issue of passport checks. Finally, she said, the inquiry must examine why it took four months for ministers to be made aware of reports that passport procedures were being ignored. Lucy Moreton, from the Immigration Services Union (ISU), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme staff "were not aware that the minister did not know" about checks being relaxed. "As far as staff were aware, this had been ministerially sanctioned," she said. "It's a requirement. We aren't allowed to make that decision ourselves to relax those checks. It's for the discretion of the minister only." Noting that Ms May says she was unaware of the practice, Ms Moreton added it was "entirely possible" that Mr Clark or someone else at that level made the decision themselves. Labour and unions have claimed that staff shortages - due to cuts to the UKBA - are at the root of the problems. Some 5,000 posts are due to go by 2015 as part of wider government cost-saving measures. Ms Moreton said that although every passenger coming into the UK is supposed to be seen by an immigration officer, "there are instances where there are not enough staff" to cover certain planes or freight traffic. "It's not supposed to happen, and often it doesn't happen on purpose, but it does happen," she said. The official investigation into the claims will be led by the Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency, John Vine.