Home Office seeks new deportations chief amid staff turnover and salary hike
The Home Office announced a search for a new head of the National Returns Progression Command after the previous chief left within two years, raising the salary to £96,000.
The Home Office is recruiting a new chief for its National Returns Progression Command, responsible for managing the return of illegal entrants, overstayers and failed asylum seekers while safeguarding vulnerable individuals. The unit, comprising 500 employees and a £22 million budget, handles detained returns, asylum casework and non-detained case progression. The previous chief departed in less than two years, marking high churn since the role was last filled in November 2024.
To attract candidates, the salary was raised from £86,000 to £96,000, outpacing inflation. Meanwhile, a recent plan to fly small-boat migrants back to France collapsed, intensifying scrutiny of the department’s return strategy. Political figures, including Green Deputy Leader Rachel Millward, linked the situation to broader party pressures on the government.
Why it matters
Leadership turnover and a salary boost in the Home Office's returns unit could affect the UK's immigration enforcement and diplomatic relations with France.
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