Latest news with #PhilDouglas
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
A gong for our times, meet Dame WFH (but will she leave home to get it?) Controversial mandarin and border chief who oversaw 129,000 small-boat arrivals among list to scoop top honours
A Mandarin who became notorious for her love of working from home has been made a dame. Sarah Healey infamously boasted that Covid-era lockdowns meant she could see more of her children as well as giving her longer to ride her expensive exercise bike. 'I have a Peloton and I can just get on my bike whenever I have a teeny bit of time. That has been a huge benefit to my well-being – the lack of travelling time eating into my day,' the then permanent secretary for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport told a conference in 2021. Her comments prompted Tory ministers to tell civil servants they 'need to get off their Pelotons and get back to their desks', as she became synonymous with the working from home culture that took hold in the public sector during the pandemic years. But Ms Healey's career was unaffected as she became Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in 2023, where she is now paid over £180,000 a year. And in today's King's Birthday Honours list she becomes a Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath. Another controversial Whitehall recipient of a gong is a borders chief on whose watch the Channel migrant crisis has exploded. Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, is made Companion of the Order of the Bath 'for services to Border Security and Public Service'. But since his appointment in November 2021, at least 129,000 immigrants have arrived in Britain illegally via dinghies. Last night a Reform UK source told the Mail: 'Once again we are seeing the Government reward utter failure. 'Productivity has taken a hammering thanks to these mandarins allowing a lazy work from home culture. A Reform government is going to trim the fat and get the civil service working again.' And a Tory source said: 'Keir Starmer doesn't run a meritocracy – he runs a mediocrity. 'Dishing out gongs for incompetence and shirking from home sends the signal loud and clear that mediocre middle managers are in charge now.' Former minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led the drive to get civil servants back to their desks, told the Mail: 'It is much more honest to say these awards are automatic and not pretend it's discretionary, when they get given to people who don't turn up to work. 'They are part of the patronage system used by ministers to oil the wheels of government.' Political figures named in the honours list include former Tory minister Penny Mordaunt, famed for her role carrying a sword at the King's Coronation, who is made a dame. She said: 'It is lovely to be appreciated in this way, and I'm very conscious that everything I have ever got done has been with the help and efforts of others.' Serving Labour MP Chi Onwurah also becomes a dame, while party whip Mark Tami receives a knighthood. And Peter Hyman, a former adviser to both Sir Tony Blair and Sir Keir Starmer, is awarded a CBE.
Forbes
28-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
UK Reports 90% Decrease In Mail-Order Cannabis Imports From Thailand
NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 18: Staff work in the packet and parcel section of the Royal Mail's ... More Swan Valley mail centre on December 18, 2013 in Northampton, England. This Friday the 20th is the last day for first class mail for Christmas. This will be the first Christmas since privatisation, Royal Mail is also set to join the FTSE 100 only two months since its debut. (Photo by) Cannabis shipments from Thailand to the UK have plunged by 90% in just three months as a crackdown led by Thai Customs and British officials starts to bite. The Home Office revealed last week a sharp drop in cannabis arriving by post from Thailand to the UK. In just three months, the volume fell by 90%. The Home Office credits the decline to a new partnership with Thai Customs. Since Thailand decriminalized cannabis in 2022, illegal shipments to the UK have surged. By the end of last year, Border Force had intercepted 15 tonnes in the mail alone. However, following intense diplomatic engagement, the UK Border Force and Thai Customs set up a new agreement, requiring parcels from Thailand to be checked before they are shipped. Border Force detected 1.5 tonnes of cannabis coming through the post in the first quarter of 2025. This marks a 90% reduction. The drop is a result of the extra checks now taking place in Thailand. Seema Malhotra, Minister for Citizenship and Migration, called it a 'prime example' of what cooperation can do. She said it supports Labour's focus on making streets safer. 'This collaboration is delivering real results and it's a prime example of how international cooperation is crucial to our Plan for Change, safer streets mission,' she said in a press statement. As Thai Customs also tightened border checks, that move led to more than 800 cannabis smugglers being caught between October 2024 and March 2025. During the same period, Thai officials seized over nine tonnes of the drug. Last year saw a record number of illegal drug seizures in the UK. Border Force and the police seized 119 tonnes. This was worth £3 billion ($4 billion) on the streets. The figure represented a 52% increase from the year before. In another operation, the Home Office stopped £6 million ($8 million) worth of cannabis at Bangkok Airport. Border Force and the National Crime Agency also worked together on the ground in Thailand. Operation Chaophraya began in July 2024. Since then, more than 50 British nationals have been arrested in Thailand for attempting to smuggle cannabis. Phil Douglas, Director General of Border Force, said their work starts long before the UK border. He said they rely on global partnerships to stop drugs from ever getting near. 'We are using advanced intelligence more than ever before and last year we made a record number of drug seizures, including the highest harm substances,' he said in a press statement. While the UK and Thailand are working together to stop cannabis smuggling, as the drug is still illegal in the UK, Thailand is reassessing its own cannabis laws. In 2022, Thailand became the first country in Asia to remove cannabis from its narcotics list. Although cannabis decriminalization was meant to support farmers and boost the economy, it allowed people to grow and possess cannabis, creating an unregulated gray market. In fact, cannabis businesses quickly popped up across the country, making Thailand's cannabis status attractive to tourists. Cannabis directory records more than 10,000 cannabis shops across the country. However, at the same time, public health concerns began to rise, leading the government elected in 2023, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, to reconsider the legal status of cannabis and move toward ending decriminalization. After the removal of Srettha as Prime Minister by the Constitutional Court of Thailand on 14 August 2024, the new government, led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, introduced in late 2024 a bill to regulate the cannabis trade. It didn't directly ban recreational use, but it marked a new direction after years of debate following decriminalization in 2022.
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Inside depot where Border Force officers thwart international drug smugglers
Speaking inside the depot, where a constant stench of cannabis fills the air, Director General for Border Force, Phil Douglas, revealed: 'In the last three months of last year, we seized 15 tonnes of cannabis' The bright packaging, with its pictures of cute cartoon characters, suggests snack food is inside. But after Border Force staff cut it open, they confirm the contents are in fact a large shrink-wrapped bag of cannabis. The package, which had been in a box that was put through a scanner, is the latest consignment of the drug sent in the post from Thailand to be discovered at a depot near Heathrow Airport. Officials here have seized thousands of shipments of cannabis in recent months. In total, 15 tons of the drug sent from Thailand were found at the postal depot in the last three months of 2024. Staff were so concerned about the weight of the hauls, which filled 250 metal cages able to hold about 40 parcels each, they feared the first floor the items were kept on might be at risk of collapse. The seized drugs had a value of hundreds of millions of pounds to British gangs who have moved into Thailand since cannabis laws were relaxed there three years ago. Speaking at the depot, where the strong smell of cannabis fills the air, Director General for Border Force, Phil Douglas, said: 'There's no doubt there is organised crime involvement in this because of the amount of cannabis that we're seeing and the money that's involved in it. 'A kilo of high-grade cannabis in Thailand will cost about £100 and it's legal. That kilo is worth £10,000 in the UK, so you can see where the incentive comes from.' The Mirror was invited into the depot, which we have agreed not to name, this week, alongside a delegation of Thai government officials being given a tour alongside the UK's Migration and Citizenship Minister Seema Malhotra. A successful new partnership by the two countries has led to a 90% reduction in cannabis arriving via post here from Thailand in the first three months of this year, as customs officials in Bangkok are now stopping much of it getting through. Between October last year and this March, they seized over nine tons of cannabis in more than 800 smuggling cases - a 400% rise on the previous year. But considerable amounts, usually hidden in concealments of between 2lb and 4lb, are still getting here hidden in professionally manufactured packaging made to look like food items. Crooks have even attempted to hide the drug in packages wrapped in birthday paper in the hope border guards will not rip them open. Mr Douglas said: 'It ranges from really blatant, shrink-wrapping the cannabis and just packing it into a box and sending the box through the post, to people putting it in cookie packets and sending multiple cookie packets to an addressee in the UK. 'It's coming from all over [Thailand], but thankfully everything is routed through Bangkok when it comes here, so our Thai colleagues have been able to help us a great deal.' Thailand legalised cannabis, but smuggling it is still punishable by 10 years' jail. Officials, led by Director General of Thai Customs Theeraj Athanavanich, flew from Bangkok for a two-day working visit to Britain, before being shown around the postal depot. While there they were shown an x-ray machine, which features AI technology, and shown packages of cannabis being opened. They were also shown piles of evidence bags full of packages of cannabis in a store room. Around one in four of the cannabis finds are seized by police as evidence and lead to criminal investigations. The rest is destroyed. The link-up comes after a separate UK-Thai collaboration, which also included the National Crime Agency and was codenamed Operation Chaophraya. The crackdown, which was set up in July last year in a bid to target drug mules heading to the UK from Thailand, led to the arrests of 51 Brits and the seizure of two tonnes of cannabis worth millions. Speaking about Operation Chaophraya, Mr Douglas told us: 'The vast majority of people that we stopped who had cannabis were British. They tended to have a suitcase packed full of cannabis. 'They're using all sorts of routes, which is why international co-operation with our partners in other countries is always really important. A lot of routes are coming via the Middle East and via India.' Speaking about how the ruthless gangs operate, he said: 'Some people are coerced into doing it by organised crime groups, some people are agents of the organised crime groups themselves and others are chancers and lone actors.' Asked how violent they are and if their criminal exploits go beyond smuggling cannabis, he added: 'We know that there are British organised crime groups in Thailand - they are not there on holiday. "In my experience organised crime groups are keen to diversify, so they won't just involve themselves in cannabis. They'll also involve themselves in the smuggling of other drugs as well.' During their visit, Thai officials also made separate visits to Heathrow Airport and to meet National Crime Agency officers. Migration and Citizenship Minister Seema Malhotra was impressed by the work they witnessed at the postal depot. She said: 'This intervention has been hugely impressive. It has resulted in hundreds of millions of pounds worth of cannabis being stopped at the border before it is able to reach our streets and our communities. 'It's hugely significant because what we're able to do when we are intervening is to also identify those who are sending the cannabis and those who are receiving the cannabis. 'This is not just small recreational use that is being stopped, this is organised criminal gangs that are using this to create damage and harm in our communities.' The minister, who has been MP for Feltham and Heston since 2011, is backing the government's Plan for Change, Safer Streets mission which is aiming to stop illegal drugs entering the country. In the year ending March 2024, Border Force and the police seized over 119 tonnes of illegal drugs, with a street value of £3billion. The figure marked a 52% increase from the previous year and is the highest number since records began. She added: 'We recognise the harm that is being done in our communities. This is about making sure we secure our borders, a vital part of our plan for change. We want to send a very strong message through the work that we're now doing with the police as well, that those who are seeking to import cannabis, to do harm in our communities, if they are caught, they will face jail.' Alex Murray, the National Crime Agency's director of threat leadership, said: 'The NCA continues to work with partners at home and abroad to target high-risk routes, seize shipments of drugs and disrupt the OCGs involved, denying them profit. 'We have been working well with the Thai authorities who are keen to intervene. Couriers should think very carefully about agreeing to smuggle cannabis. "There are life-changing consequences. Crime groups can be very persuasive, but the risk of getting caught is very high and simply not worth it.'
Local France
02-04-2025
- Local France
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
Travellers from Europe will now need a digital Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit , which UK officials said they were rolling out to boost security and streamline entry processes. There will be a buffer period which could last several months. The permit can be bought online in the next few days for €12 (£10), but the price will rise to £16. The ETA has already been introduced for American, Canadian and other visa-exempt nationals visiting the UK, which left the European Union in 2020. The head of the UK's border force Phil Douglas said the latest rollout was part of a wider plan to bring in the ETA for visitors from around the world. 'This scheme is essentially a border security measure,' he said, adding that he did not expect Wednesday's launch to cause disruption. The permit would speed up entry times and allow officials to check information including a traveller's immigration history or criminal record, he said. READ ALSO Confusion surrounds ETA visa waiver process for some dual national Brits 'The quid pro quo for the individual, though, is that we are building a contactless border, so if they're cleared for entry, they'll be able to use our new eGates and they'll be able to go through the border much more quickly,' he added. Advertisement 'People will still be able to get on planes and trains while this introductory period takes place,' he said, referring to the buffer period, adding that it was expected to last several months, until 'September or October'. The permit allows visits of up to six months. It is digitally linked to the applicant's passport and is valid for two years. READ ALSO Will I need an ETA visa for my French spouse or children? The application, which can be made on a smartphone app or through the UK government website , has been open to Europeans since the start of March. It applies to nationals of some 30 European countries, including all those in the European Union, except Ireland. The applicant will need to provide a photo of their passport and their face. The process takes around 10 minutes, according to the UK's Home Office. Advertisement In most cases, an application decision is made within minutes but the government recommends allowing up to three working days. It will be required for babies and children, but flight passengers transiting without crossing the UK border are exempt from the scheme after pressure from Heathrow which feared a loss of passenger footfall connecting through Europe's busiest airport. READ ALSO Can I get my money back if I've paid for an ETA through an unofficial website? Almost 84 million passengers passed through Heathrow in 2024 – a third from the neighbouring EU. The scheme was first launched in 2023 for Qatar, before being extended to five regional Gulf neighbours. In January, it was expanded to nationals of around another 50 countries and territories, including Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand. Advertisement Almost 1.1 million visitors were issued with ETAs before the end of 2024, according to the Home Office. It is not applicable to UK residents or anyone who already has a UK immigration status. The ETA mirrors the ETIAS scheme for visa-exempt nationals travelling to 30 European countries, including France and Germany, which has been delayed until 2026.
Sharjah 24
02-04-2025
- Sharjah 24
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
Travellers from Europe will now need a digital Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit, which UK officials said they were rolling out to boost security and streamline entry processes. There will be a buffer period which could last several months. The permit can be bought online in the next few days for £10 (12 euros), but the price is rising swiftly from April 9 to £16. The ETA has already been introduced for American, Canadian and other visa-exempt nationals visiting the UK, which left the European Union in 2020. The head of the UK's border force Phil Douglas said the latest rollout was part of a wider plan to bring in the ETA for visitors from around the world. "This scheme is essentially a border security measure," he said, adding that he did not expect Wednesday's launch to cause disruption. The permit would speed up entry times and allow officials to check information including a traveller's immigration history or criminal record, he said. "The quid pro quo for the individual, though, is that we are building a contactless border, so if they're cleared for entry, they'll be able to use our new eGates and they'll be able to go through the border much more quickly," he added. "People will still be able to get on planes and trains while this introductory period takes place," he said, referring to the buffer period, adding that it was expected to last several months, until "September or October." The permit allows visits of up to six months. It is digitally linked to the applicant's passport and is valid for two years. The application, which can be made on a smartphone app or through the government website, has been open to Europeans since the start of March. It applies to nationals of some 30 European countries, including all those in the European Union except Ireland. Scheme expanded The applicant will need to provide a photo of their passport and their face. The process takes around 10 minutes, according to the UK's Home Office. In most cases, an application decision is made within minutes but the government recommends allowing up to three working days. It will be required for babies and children, but flight passengers transiting without crossing the UK border are exempt from the scheme after pressure from Heathrow which feared a loss of passenger footfall connecting through Europe's busiest airport. Almost 84 million passengers passed through Heathrow in 2024 -- a third from the neighbouring EU. The scheme was first launched in 2023 for Qatar, before being extended to five regional Gulf neighbours. In January, it was expanded to nationals of around another 50 countries and territories, including Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand. Almost 1.1 million visitors were issued with ETAs before the end of 2024, according to the Home Office. It is not applicable to UK residents or anyone who already has a UK immigration status. The ETA mirrors the ETIAS scheme for visa-exempt nationals travelling to 30 European countries, including France and Germany, which has been delayed until 2026.
