A Face That Fits

Undeterred by her recent difficulties in finding a suitable chair for the child sex abuse inquiry, the mad old cat lady at the Home Office has appointed her next chief inspector of borders and immigration. The previous holder of the post, a former chief constable, resigned after five and a half years during which he repeatedly criticised the inefficiency of the immigration system, which persisted despite any amount of arbitrary targets, political dog-whistling and licensed thuggery. The mad old cat lady at the Home Office responded to the criticism by taking direct control, first of the functions of the shambolic UK Border Agency, then of the publication of any reports about her department's own cherished brand of malignant incompetence. For her new chief inspector, the mad old cat lady has chosen a former MI5 officer, who can be expected to display a more constructive attitude to the Home Office's priorities. As an additional precaution she has shortened the length of his contract, just in case his commitment to openness, accountability and common humanity should prove less than a match for her own.