A passport to chaos - Telegraph Travellers arriving at Heathrow Airport recently have been subjected to lengthy queues at passport control, with some waiting as long as three hours before gaining entry to the UK. This is unacceptable. It threatens to damage the economy at a time when it is at its most vulnerable by deterring businessmen and tourists from coming here. With a three-hour wait, it would almost be quicker to fly to Paris and take the Eurostar back to London; but then why not just fly to France and stay there? The issue of border control is obviously a sensitive one. We do not want people coming in who would do us harm, because when they do, as with Abu Qatada, we cannot get rid of them. But equally, we do not want the millions of people coming to visit, work and trade here to be discouraged from doing so and to go elsewhere. Getting this right is the responsibility of the UK Border Agency, the Border Force, and, ultimately, the Home Office. In evidence to the home affairs select committee yesterday, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, said special measures would be in place for the Olympics, with fast-track desks for athletes and their families. But this is not good enough. The problem is here and now, and there is no reason why people arriving for the Games should be treated any better than anyone else. Mrs May has agreed to hold an emergency summit with the airlines to hear their concerns, which include a shortage of immigration staff. Arguably, a risk-based approach of the kind that led to the resignation of the border chief Brodie Clarke last year should be reconsidered. Whatever the solution, Mrs May needs to sort this out quickly.