Priti Patel delays publication of independent reports on EU citizens and anti-terror laws which were sent to her months ago Exclusive: An investigation into the Windrush scandal which was promised a year ago has not been finished

The Home Office is delaying the publication of independent reports on terror legislation and the status of EU citizens, i can reveal.

An inquiry into the Windrush scandal expected to be finished nearly a year ago has also been postponed indefinitely with Home Office ministers unable to say when they will receive it.

The Home Secretary Priti Patel has been accused of “suppressing” the reports after failing to explain the unusual delay in their publication. Britain’s counter-terror watchdog said he was “increasingly concerned” about the status of his report.

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The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, David Bolt, sent the Home Office the results of his latest investigation into the EU Settlement Scheme on 30 September last year.

Official delay

The Home Office is formally committed to releasing the chief inspector’s reports within eight weeks of their being submitted. He has not been told why the investigation is still awaiting publication and has not been given a timescale for its release.

A source close to Mr Bolt said that he was planning to start a follow-up investigation into the progress of the scheme, which is meant to ensure the rights of EU citizens living in Britain after Brexit, within weeks despite the fact that his previous report has not yet been made public.

Jonathan Hall QC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, submitted his annual report into how the UK’s counter-terror laws are working on 7 November. The Home Secretary has a legal duty to lay the report before Parliament but has not yet done so more than three months later.

Mr Hall has been pressing the Home Office to publish his investigation as soon as possible. He told i: “Given that Parliament is currently debating important reforms to terrorism legislation, I am increasingly concerned about the continuing failure to publish my annual report on the Terrorism Acts.

“Indeed, the statutory purpose of appointing an Independent Reviewer is to inform Parliament, which is why under the terms of section 36 Terrorism Act 2006 the Home Secretary has a duty to lay his or her annual report before Parliament.”

Windrush review

A third delayed report, the “Lessons Learned Review” of the Windrush scandal, was commissioned by then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid in June 2018. It was due to be published in spring of last year, but was then delayed until September. It has still not been submitted to the Home Office.

A draft version of the report was leaked earlier this month. It recommended an end to the deportation of foreign-born criminals who have lived in the UK since they were children.

The Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Christine Jardine told i: “Preventing terrorism, righting the wrongs of the Windrush scandal and protecting the rights of EU citizens are three of the most important tasks facing the Home Secretary right now. For her to suppress reports on all three of these is outrageous.

“The Conservative Government has shown repeatedly that it cannot be trusted to keep people safe or protect their rights, and refusing to publish these reviews only erodes that trust further. Priti Patel must release these reports without further delay.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Once reports are received, we aim to publish them as soon as possible. Before doing so it is right that we give their content and recommendations our full consideration.”

This piece has been updated to clarify the sub-heading