BONUS FOR BORDER CHIEF AS CROSSINGS SOAR

A HOME OFFICE official in charge of protecting Britain’s borders was given a bonus on top of his six-figure salary, despite the record number of migrants crossing the English Channel.

Glyn Williams (left), who is currently the director general of Migration and Borders and earns up to £145,000, received £13,000 as a bonus for his performance for the 2019-20 financial year.

According to official figures, 1,892 migrants made the Channel crossing in 2019 but the figure rose to 8,420 last year.

Tory MP Tim Loughton, a member of the Commons Home Affairs Committee, said: ‘Bonuses should be linked to success, not failure.’

He added that he was surprised the bonus had been paid ‘during a pandemic when many people are lucky to hold on to their salaries’.

Home Office sources said that Mr Williams had been ‘responsible for the Nationality and Borders Bill overhauling the decades -old asylum system to prevent illegal entry’.

Matthew Rycroft, permanent secretary at the Home Office,

said: ‘I am hugely grateful to Glyn Williams and the excellent service he provides.

‘It is important that we offer competitive salaries and bonuses to recruit, retain and motivate the best senior executives.’