EXCLUSIVE: Home Office chief sent staff back-slapping email in wake of anti-immigration riots

The email, which was sent just a week after widespread disorder swept the country, was intended as a thank you to civil servants for their ongoing work.

But critics said the timing of the email was inappropriate, given the immigration, security and law and order failures across the UK which are costing taxpayers billions.

Former Conservative MP Tom Hunt told GB News: “These revelations are shocking.

“The Home Office is broken. The most senior people in it don’t actually believe in border control.

“The problem they have is the country at large doesn’t agree. Immigration is now the top issue for the British public.”

On August 13 the permanent secretary sent the email - which you can read in full below - to civil servants across the Whitehall department.

Rycroft thanked staff for continuing day-to-day work and for dealing with “other crises from prison capacity to Lebanon”.

On Thursday new figures revealed that more than one million people were given long-term visas in the twelve months to June 2024. This year another 20,000 migrants have already crossed the channel illegally. Housing asylum seekers now costs the British taxpayer more than £8m-a-day in hotel bills.

Rycroft, who has overseen record numbers of illegal migrants enter the country, continued in his email to staff: “Whether in the way that we have supported the police on violent disorder, arranged funding for the security of places of worship, or communicated with the public via a multi-lingual social media campaign, we have demonstrated how we are building a Stronger Organisation that is making us more resilient for future challenges.”

The senior civil servant, who also acts as the Home Office Race, Faith and Belief Champion, described the "anti-Muslim racist aspects of some of the protests" as distressing and warned some staff, particularly Black Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues faced security threats following the anti-immigration protests.

He went on to outline the Home Office “values of Respect, Compassion, Courage and Collaboration” and said they have been in evidence since the protests began.

He wrote: “Our attention now turns to the longer term - recovery, rebuilding, community cohesion, tackling extremism, learning the lessons for how policing is organised and how we work with the police, the importance of the whole Criminal Justice System working together to provide speed justice, the role of social media, and many more issues.”

Robert Bates, Director of Research for the Centre for Migration Control, told GB News: “It is impossible to find an organisation less worthy of self-pride than the Home Office.

“Since the election it has granted a record number of asylum applications, disclosed that it is now spending £5.4bn a year on illegal migrants, cack-handedly dealt with a period of social unrest, and released figures showing it handed out 1.2m long term visas to migrants.

“It is hard to fathom what service it is providing the British public at this stage. Our police forces are neutered, our prisons are releasing prisoners, our borders are open, and our country is less safe than at any time in recent memory.”

Reform MP Lee Anderson added: "A few months ago Matthew Rycroft couldn’t tell me in a select committee how many illegal migrants had been deported, a basic function of his brief. Now he sends out a message of woke warrior word soup.

“It is no wonder that this Government has decided to block Reform MPs from select committees, they are terrified of being held to account.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The police, our criminal justice partners and the department stepped up an enormous and united response across the country to stem the disorder, ensure those involved in this thuggery felt the full force of the law and are continuing to help our communities recover and reunite.

“The claims being made are false and misleading. It is absolutely right that our Permanent Secretary offered pastoral support to all Home Office staff at a time when they were relentlessly focused on keeping communities across the UK safe.”

THE EMAIL TO HOME OFFICE STAFF IN FULL

[Sent 13/08/2024]

Colleagues,

As the recent violent disorder in towns and cities around the country continues to occupy our attention, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in dealing with it to date. The last few weeks have shown the Home Office at its best.

To those of you who have continued to deliver our day-to-day work, and who have dealt with other crises from prison capacity to Lebanon, thank you too for your ongoing commitment and professionalism.

The Prime Minister has commented that the Government response to the violent disorder has been much more joined up than when he was Director of Public Prosecutions. The Home Secretary has also asked me to pass on her particular thanks for everything you have done.

Whether in the way that we have supported the police on violent disorder, arranged funding for the security of places of worship, or communicated with the public via a multi-lingual social media campaign, we have demonstrated how we are building a Stronger Organisation that is making us more resilient for future challenges.

For many of us, the disorder had a disturbing impact at a personal level. For some, particularly our Black Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues, it was a question of personal safety and security. The anti-Muslim racist aspects of some of the protests were also distressing. I hope that everyone has received the support you need, and am grateful for Home Office leaders - at command, campus and network level - for offering support and regular communications on a fast-changing picture.

Throughout the last two weeks, our values of Respect, Compassion, Courage and Collaboration have been truly in evidence in the way that we have supported anxious colleagues over the disorder.

Our attention now turns to the longer term - recovery, rebuilding, community cohesion, tackling extremism, learning the lessons for how policing is organised and how we work with the police, the importance of the whole Criminal Justice System working together to provide speedy justice, the role of social media, and many more issues.

Thank you for everything you do and I hope that at some point over the summer you will have been able to take a breather and come back refreshed for the autumn.

Matthew

Matthew Rycroft

Permanent Secretary