MD Fortinus Global Ltd, Global Border Security Consultant. Former DG UKBF and Senior Director UKBA. Chairman of IBMATA. Lifelong QPR fan. RTs not endorsement.
London, UK
Joined February 2013
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Tony Smith CBE retweeted
Tony Smith has worked in border enforcement for 50 years; he makes some excellent points:
1) Leaving the ECHR alone will not stop the small boats. You will, at minimum, also need to amend (or repeal) the Human Rights Act and Modern Slavery protections.
2) Border force should be able to detain migrants indefinitely; unless they agree to a voluntary return or produce the necessary documents — 98% of small boat arrivals arrive without a passport, they are told to throw their passports, phones and any other documentation into the sea by the smugglers, as this makes it essentially impossible for the Home Office to determine who these people actually are.
3) Successive Governments have lacked the political will to amend UK legislation and return to the system we had from the 1970s to the 1990s; which allowed border force to detain and deport people quickly.
4) The House of Lords is a big barrier to tightening immigration and asylum law, as they are sympathetic to the wishes of migrants and asylum seekers over the wishes of the British public.
"I Policed the Border for 40 Years - the System is Broken" - Tony Smith CBE youtu.be/lpUVkk2nxhk?is=uV0R… via @YouTube full version of my interview with @triggerpod now out on @YouTube for those interested. We really did used to send them back.
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
If you want to understand the real reasons why we can’t stop illegal immigration then you have to watch this interview.
Join us!
The Real Reason They Don't Want to Stop the Boats
Join us tonight for a compelling conversation with Tony Smith CBE, former Director General of UK Border Force and Managing Director of @FortinusGlobal, bringing 40 years of border security experience to one of Britain’s biggest political debates.
Don't miss the full episode tonight, Wednesday 21st October, at 7PM UK | 2PM ET on YouTube, Facebook and X.
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
Tony Smith worked in border enforcement his entire career, eventually rising to run the Border Force. He joins us tonight to explain what's happened and how to solve it.
The Real Reason They Don't Want to Stop the Boats
Join us tonight for a compelling conversation with Tony Smith CBE, former Director General of UK Border Force and Managing Director of @FortinusGlobal, bringing 40 years of border security experience to one of Britain’s biggest political debates.
Don't miss the full episode tonight, Wednesday 21st October, at 7PM UK | 2PM ET on YouTube, Facebook and X.
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
The Real Reason They Don't Want to Stop the Boats
Join us tonight for a compelling conversation with Tony Smith CBE, former Director General of UK Border Force and Managing Director of @FortinusGlobal, bringing 40 years of border security experience to one of Britain’s biggest political debates.
Don't miss the full episode tonight, Wednesday 21st October, at 7PM UK | 2PM ET on YouTube, Facebook and X.
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
Exclusive:
Shabana Mahmood is fighting a rearguard action to save her migration reforms in the face of mounting public criticism from cabinet colleagues
The home secretary is under pressure to water down her plans to make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence
Andy Burnham, the prime minister, is considering exempting care workers from plans to extend the qualifying period for claiming indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five years to 15 years
However, the Home Office has argued that the move could backfire because it could lead to an exodus of foreign care workers from their jobs once they gained permanent residence and were no longer bound by the terms of their visas
A senior ally of Mahmood said she retained Burnham’s broad support over the plans: “Andy has been on Shabana’s side throughout this row over ILR. He is holding the line.”
thetimes.com/article/1a6e1a3…
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
The Home Office has refused to rule out further migrant landings at Gosport despite protests @ShabanaMahmood @DonnaJonesMayor @GosportCouncil @FortinusGlobal @MigObs @migrationCtrl @APPGMigration @MigrationWatch @PoliceInspForum @DannyShawNews telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/10…
My interview with @JuliaHB1 on @TalkTV earlier today. This man should be deported. Still waiting for an explanation as to why not. #bordersecurity #antiterrorism #illegalmigrants
🚨"If we can’t deport him, I don’t know who we can deport."
Ex-Border Force chief Tony Smith demands an explanation from the Home Office about why Britain can't deport an ISIS terrorist who arrived illegally on a small boat.
@JuliaHB1
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
Net immigration (and immigration) to the UK has been in dramatic decline since its peak
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
This is interesting. The word in Westminster is the issue of whether to extend indefinite leave to remain will be resolved this week.
One Labour MP told me “we are caving on this”. But this was denied by another source. 👇👇
Energy Secretary attacks Mahmood’s migrant crackdown
Miatta Fahnbulleh said that extending the time foreign nationals had to wait before being granted indefinite leave to remain threatened “the process of building cohesion”.
telegraph.co.uk/politics/202…
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
New: The migrant route across the Channel is now the second busiest on the entire continent, new figures show.
Research by the EU’s external borders agency, Frontex, suggests 30,944 people tried to reach the UK in the first nine months of this year.
Very good spot by @FortinusGlobal. He warns that this suggests “a greater proportion of those entering the EU illegally are headed here”.
The only route busier across the entire continent is in the Eastern Mediterranean, where 31,803 migrants were detected in a corridor between Libya, Crete and the Aegean Islands.
Thousands were also detected in the Aegean Islands and at the land border between Bulgaria and Turkey.
Irregular crossings EU to U.K. outbound now second highest compared to irregular EU intake via West Africa W Med C Med E Med Balkans and East.
Only E Med still ahead - and not by much.
📉 Irregular border crossings into the EU: down 32% in the first nine months of 2026
🔹 Just over 91 000 detections
🔹 Steepest drop: Central Mediterranean (-56%)
🔹 Only increase: Western Mediterranean (+26%)
Details ➡️ frontex.europa.eu/media-cent…
ALT Graphic showing irregular border crossings into the EU in the first 9 months of 2026
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
📉 Irregular border crossings into the EU: down 32% in the first nine months of 2026
🔹 Just over 91 000 detections
🔹 Steepest drop: Central Mediterranean (-56%)
🔹 Only increase: Western Mediterranean (+26%)
Details ➡️ frontex.europa.eu/media-cent…
ALT Graphic showing irregular border crossings into the EU in the first 9 months of 2026
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
ANDREW NEIL: French violence makes Le Pen victory all but inevitable dailymail.com/debate/article…
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
La France des ultras et la France des wallah n'est mue que par un sentiment de haine et de revanche.
Une grande partie des pilleurs sont issus de l'immigration, ne se sentent pas Français et ne ratent jamais une occasion pour exprimer leur haine de la France.
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
The true cost of Labour's migration dithering: At least 200,000 are given the right to remain since crackdown promise, official figures show trib.al/pTOW6d5
The government needs to explain precisely what legal barrier prevents the removal of an Iraqi national with a history of Islamic extremism. Yes he may face arrest and prosecution in Iraq for terrorist offences, but that’s not tantamount to inhuman or degrading treatment under A3.
This is absolutely INSANE! Meet Mohammed Yaseen. He was a member of an Al Qaeda group that beheaded Brit Ken Bigley.
He then joined ISIS where he worked as a guard at two mass killings and a deadly public stoning. He was arrested in Germany and served nearly 5 years in prison for being a member of Isis.
After he was released, Germany didn't deport him, so he broke into our country on a small boat because he heard we 'accept everyone'.
He was jailed for 2 years for illegal entry, then released early after 6 months. This is despite hearing in court that he 'posed a danger to the whole of the UK' and he had a 'deep and lengthy involvement in terrorism and Islamic extremist ideology'.
He's eligible for deportation, but the Foreign Office raised concerns that if we deport him to Iraq he could face 'mistreatment' for being a terrorist.
He has reapplied to stay in the UK, which halts any deportation proceedings and it will cost taxpayers' £85,000 a year to keep him here.
It get's worse... if and when he uses the ECHR to fight his case, we are potentially on the hook for another *£500,000* in legal aid.
He's been put in a bail hostel in Windsor and able to walk the streets.
WHAT TF ARE WE DOING TO OURSELVES?!
This country is utterly broken.
Tony Smith CBE retweeted
All the rejoiners know this. 👇
It has been pointed out many times.
But they continue to lie to you. 🤥
And just look at Spain or France, Germany or Italy to see how great the current EU immigration policy is. 🤔
