Mr Rycroft said: “This story completely ignores reality. Abi is an extremely talented leader, leading the global visa and passport operations. With locations spread across the UK, Abi works daily with teams across the country providing vital services to the British public. “Abi’s job had nothing to do with the current passport situation, which was largely due to the drop in applications during the pandemic. Our teams work steadily to meet demand. “We are proud to be spreading opportunities and talent across the country, moving away from the outdated notion that everything has to be done in London.” Earlier this month, Rycroft, a senior Home Office official, warned his chief of staff, Priti Patel, that the policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda did not have “sufficient evidence” to demonstrate the benefits of the system. Home Office officials said Dr Tierney had worked “the vast majority” of her time at passport offices across the country, including London and “occasionally” at home, but would not have been more publicly accurate.
“Working outside London”
A source said Mr Rycroft did not support work from home but the right of officials to “work outside London”. Asked if there was a risk of a conflict with Mr Rees-Mogg’s campaign, the source said: “Yes, possibly, but this is clearly a debate that is already taking place in the government.” The source said that Nadine Dorries, the Secretary of Culture, had accused Mr. Rees-Mogg of a “Dickensian” approach to “measuring bodies behind desks”. The permanent secretary in the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sports has in the past praised the virtues of working from home because it gives her more time on her exercise bike. It came as Dr Tierney lured the French company’s boss behind the chaos of the passport helpline for a rug for its “unacceptable” performance. Requested improvements from the Paris-based Teleperformance boss regarding complaints about missed calls, up to four hours of customer response delays and inability to provide accurate information. The company, which now attracts hundreds of additional staff, was also responsible for running the helplines in the highly-targeted Ukrainian refugee program, where there were complaints that it was unable to inform applicants about their visa status. application. On Thursday, it emerged that only one-fifth – about 11,100 – of the 51,300 Ukrainians granted visas under the Homes for Ukraine program had arrived in the United Kingdom. About 16,000 of the 34,900 Ukrainians granted visas have entered the United Kingdom. Teleperformance did not respond to a request for comment.
