Committee publication · Correspondence · 16 July 2026

Letter to the Home Secretary relating to the appointment of a new Border Security Commander 16.06.2026

Summary

The Home Affairs Committee writes to the Home Secretary requesting clarification on the appointment of a permanent Border Security Commander following Martin Hewitt's departure in March 2026. The committee seeks the Home Secretary's assessment of Hewitt's performance, publication timeline for the Border Security Command's performance review, details of recruitment criteria for his successor, and the expected timeline for filling the role.

Key findings

Martin Hewitt CBE QPM stepped down as Border Security Commander at the end of March 2026; no permanent successor has yet been appointed
The Home Office has not published an assessment of Border Security Command's performance despite its establishment in July 2024
Media reports indicated the Home Secretary was dissatisfied with Hewitt's performance and lack of progress in reducing small boat crossings
The committee challenges the Home Secretary to clarify recruitment timelines, changes to the role's remit, and qualities sought in Hewitt's successor
The committee emphasises the Border Security Commander role is critical to coordinating government response to organised immigration crime and channel crossings

Tone

Procedural

Topics

border-securityimmigration-enforcementorganised-crimesmall-boat-crossingspublic-appointments

Key actors

Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP, Home Secretary, Martin Hewitt CBE QPM, Rt Hon Dame Karen Bradley MP, Home Affairs Committee

Notable line

“Despite the Border Security Command being established almost two years ago, to date the government has not published an assessment of the Command's performance.”

Key Quotes

“Despite the Border Security Command being established almost two years ago, to date the government has not published an assessment of the Command's performance.”
— Home Affairs Committee · Expressing concern about lack of transparency on Border Security Command effectiveness

“The Home Office has emphasised role of the BSC in co-ordinating the government's response to organised immigration crime and channel crossing s, and we would expect filling this role to be a priority for the department.”
— Home Affairs Committee · Asserting urgency of appointing successor to Border Security Commander

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗