John Tuckett appointed as Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration

Today John Tuckett has officially been appointed as the new Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, leaving a vacancy for his most recent post as the Immigration Services Commissioner. Apparently his replacement in that role will be announced shortly. The announcement says:

Mr Tuckett joins from his previous position as Immigration Services Commissioner, which he has held since July 2019, and brings more than 30 years of experience to the role.  

Following a career as a Royal Navy submarine commander, Mr Tuckett moved into senior Home Office positions where he successfully led the merger of Prison and Probation Services

He also served as Chief Executive of the Marine Management Organisation and has led major organisational change programmes across multiple government departments. 

Following a pre-appointment hearing on 11 February 2025, the Home Affairs Committee raised some concerns about his residence in Finland, but ultimately confirmed that Mr Tuckett meets the requirements for the role. He will take over from former ICIBI David Bolt who has been filling in on an interim basis since 3 June 2024, following the dismissal of David Neal in February 2024 just before his term was due to end.

As ever, the new Chief Inspector will have a lot on his plate from the outset, with current live inspections including the one everyone (well, me) is waiting for – the “inspection of asylum casework with a particular focus on the quality of asylum decisions”.