So, in the wake of the cross-border row on GCSEs, how does he think that's going?

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The other cross-border row which could have been expected to emerge from the Budget documents is over oil revenues.

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Brodie Clark resigned as head of the UK border force last week amid a row with Home Secretary Theresa May over the relaxation of passport controls during a pilot scheme last summer.

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"There were a few things that were disconcerting, " he said, not least the row about security and a possible border control strike.

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The row that led to the inquiry also led, you may recall, to the UK Border Force chief Brodie Clark being suspended and later quitting.

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But controls were tightened again six months ago, following a row between the home secretary, Theresa May, and Brodie Clark, then head of Britain's border-control workforce, over the relaxation of immigration controls.

ECONOMIST: Border security: Heathrow��s woes | The