The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration in the administrative justice and accountability ecosystem

This article focuses on the role of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) within the broader administrative justice and accountability ecosystem of the UK. It identifies the ICIBI as a unique, permanent body dedicated to scrutinising the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Home Office's immigration and asylum functions. It has a particular role in examining aspects of “internal administrative law” which are ordinarily invisible to judicial review. Using various network analyses and a conceptual framework of accountability actors responsible for “setting it right”, this article demonstrates that the ICIBI and the Home Affairs Select Committee act as significant “amplifiers” within this ecosystem by frequently citing and promoting the findings of other accountability bodies. The analysis highlights the influence exerted by the ICIBI as the most frequently cited body in House of Commons immigration and asylum debates, as well as the key amplifier role undertaken by members of the Home Affairs Select Committee within Commons debates. The research also evidences that the ICIBI has made sustained efforts to amplify the learnings from the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, suggesting that the ICIBI should be regarded as a key stakeholder for the new Windrush Commissioner. This article therefore traces the complex ways in which bodies within the administrative justice and accountability ecosystem interact in order to achieve more effective outcomes.