The former Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration has revealed he was sacked on a Microsoft Teams call, claiming he was "sacked for doing my job".
Speaking to the Home Affairs Select Committee, he hit out at "shocking leadership" in the Home Office.
He also criticised the department for a "lack of effectiveness".
Neal was sacked by the Home Office earlier this month after he criticised the UK Border Force over alleged security failings.
Neal was sacked by the Home Office earlier this month after he criticised the UK Border Force over alleged security failings
PA
Asked about his departure, Neal said he was "sacked for doing my job."
He added: "I think I've been sacked for doing what the law asks of me. And I've breached, I've fallen down over a clause in my employment contract, which I think is a crying shame because I think I can do my job extremely well.
"I've been candid with this committee. We've produced multiple reports that have exposed the sometimes lack of effectiveness and lack of efficiency in the system that the Borders Act sets me up to inspect.
"I think I've worked very very hard with the Home Office to try and work with them to achieve what the legislation asks of me."
Asked about his claim that he was sacked by Microsoft Teams, Neal said: "Yes. It was the most high-performing team of 30 civil servants.
"The notification that I was sacked was actually in the media before my team or I had the chance to speak to them, which is shocking, shocking leadership."
In the days before he was sacked, Neal had warned of “dangerous” failings by border force that he claimed were allowing “high-risk” aircraft to land in the UK without security checks.
A Home Office spokesperson said Neal, had “breached the terms of appointment and lost the confidence of the Home Secretary”.
They also “categorically rejected” Neal's claims that checks were not being carried out on hundreds of private jets arriving at London City Airport.
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The spokesperson accused him of having put "misleading data into the public domain”, claiming there was an issue with the way data was recorded at the airport which caused low-risk flights to have been categorised as high-risk.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hit out at the Home Office decision to sack Neal, saying: “This is total Tory chaos on borders and immigration.
“A series of conservative home secretaries have sought to bury uncomfortable truths revealed by the chief inspector about our broken borders, and shockingly they are still sitting on 15 unpublished reports – stretching back to April last year. The home secretary must now publish those reports in full.
“The conservatives have lost control of our borders, are seeking to hide the truth, and are putting border security at risk.”
