“They haven’t got anyone for the top job,” said one well-placed source. 

“It’s a disaster. Priti was not happy with any of the candidates.”

It is believed three people applied to be director-general of Border Force and Immigration Enforcement – two internal Civil Service candidates and one former chief constable. All were rejected after panel interviews led by Patricia Hayes, the Home Office’s second permanent secretary.

The trawl has now been reopened, forcing plans for any merger of border control and enforcement to be put on hold. The Border Agency was split into the two departments in 2013, with insiders at the time describing it as “mad” to break it up.

David Wood, former head of Immigration Enforcement, said: “Border Force are responsible as they arrive on our shores. If they get one and a half miles inland, then Immigration Enforcement is responsible for them. 

“When they are intercepted, they have to hand them over to Asylum and Immigration. You end up with barriers between different parts. Each has its own budget, its own priorities and they are not particularly connected.”

The Border Force union also claims Border Force and Immigration Enforcement are down by 1,000 staff, a quarter of their total, partly because of the difficulties of training new recruits due to Covid restrictions..

Enforcement, asylum decision-making and Border Force regional task forces are said to be the hardest hit frontline departments.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We are in the process of recruiting a new joint Borders and Enforcement Director General. In the interim we have appointed two excellent acting Directors General for Border Force and Immigration Enforcement who are both dedicated to stopping dangerous small boat crossings and the ruthless people smugglers.

 “It is only right that we take the appropriate time to appoint a candidate of considerable experience and expertise to the new role. They will be announced in due course.

 “Both the Home Secretary and Permanent Secretary are hugely grateful for the hard work of the thousands of Home Office public servants who dedicate themselves to some of the Government’s biggest priorities, including recruiting 20,000 police officers, cutting crime and implementing the New Plan for Immigration.”