Overview

• Robert Jenrick received a formal reprimand from Sir Matthew Rycroft after claiming individuals linked to Islamic State had “waltzed” into Britain on Channel small boats.
• The letter warned that Jenrick remained bound by the ministerial code, the Official Secrets Act and Privy Council confidentiality obligations.
• The Home Office has declined to confirm or deny the veracity of his terror-related small boat claims, citing potential national security risks.
• Conservative MPs Bradley Thomas and Lewis Cocking denounced the warning as an effort to suppress security concerns about mass migration.
• Revelations about a secretive Whitehall “spy” unit monitoring social media posts critical of migrant housing have prompted the White House to express concern over UK free speech protections.