Nigel Farage should "hang his head in shame" after Brexit left the UK unable to tackle the small boats crisis, ministers have been told. Calls have been mounted for Britain to push to join a new EU migration pact, giving it powers to return failed asylum seekers and once again access crucial biometric data. It comes after Labour's borders minister last week admitted Brexit had made it harder to deal with small boats.
Lib Dems urge UK to join EU pact
Urging the UK to join the EU's new Migration and Asylum Pact, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey accused Mr Farage of exploiting a mess he helped create. He said that being outside the bloc makes Britain vulnerable to traffickers.
The Lib Dem leader said: "Farage and the Conservatives should hang their heads in shame for breaking our borders with their bad Brexit deal. But instead of apologising to the British public, they are now exploiting the mess they created for their own gain." He pointed to research by the Migration Observatory, which found people who come by small boat often say the lack of a watertight return agreement was a factor in their decision to come. This is particularly true of those who are refused protection in other EU countries, the study found.
Access to EU databases
The government has been pushing for access to the Schengen Information System (SIS) and the EU's fingerprinting system Eurodac, which it lost after Brexit. Officials believe this would be a game-changer in identifying asylum seekers whose claims should be rejected. The Lib Dems argue pushing to join the European migration pact would unlock this.
The party's home affairs spokesman, Max Wilkinson, said: "Time and time again, Nigel Farage and the architects of the dangerous small boats chaos tell us they have a new plan to end the crisis they created. They would sooner send in the navy at taxpayers’ expense and strip British people of hard-won rights by leaving the ECHR than admit they’re responsible. We can end small boat crossings and have a humane and cost-effective asylum system by joining the EU’s new pact."
Borders minister admits Brexit challenges
It is feared that insufficient border checks mean convicted smugglers' past convictions do not show up in asylum checks. Last month a BBC investigation said 15 cases of criminals being allowed to settle had been identified. The EU pact includes mandatory screening and measures to stop people moving from the first EU country they arrived in. It also includes a new duty on asylum seekers to apply for asylum in the first country they enter.
The Lib Dem call comes a week after newly-appointed borders minister Anna Turley told The Mirror it is really important for the UK to access European intelligence databases. She said: "I think it's really important. One of the things my first two-and-a-half weeks has taught me is just how important international cooperation is. We can't solve the boats problem without working with the French, we can't do this without tracking the gangs that are crossing multiple countries' boundaries. So, we have to work together with our European partners and others. So, using that data, using that intelligence, sharing that is critical."
Pressed on whether Brexit had made it more difficult to tackle small boat crossings, Ms Turley said: "The facts are clear that immigration has quadrupled since, you know, since Brexit. That is a challenge that we face, we're now outside the Dublin Convention (which allowed Britain to return migrants to countries they had passed through). These things do make things more difficult."
Small boat arrivals have dropped by more than 40% compared to last year, and earlier this month were at their lowest level since 2021. Ms Turley pointed to successes denting the supply of small boat parts in recent months. This has included a haul of 25 boats on their way to Germany from China capable of transporting over 2,000 people last month.
A Home Office spokesperson said: "This Government is bearing down on dangerous small boat crossings and restoring control at our border. Joint efforts have seen over 47,000 crossing attempts prevented and 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election. We are making progress, with the number of small boat crossings down this year and the lowest number recorded for the month of July since 2020. But we must go further, which is why we have signed a payment-by-results deal with the French to put 40% more boots on the ground on French beaches."
