Knowing of the great interest in this topic by many readers, I am today publishing the latest Ministerial update on this .
“The UK and French Governments have been working closely together to respond to the pressures caused by the growing number of migrants crossing the Mediterranean this year. The strike action by French port workers has recently exacerbated these pressures, temporarily closing the port of Calais and disrupting services by ferry operators and Eurotunnel. This had significant repercussions for the UK – in particular for lorry drivers, the travelling public and local residents in South East England. Although the strike action is now paused and the Port of Calais is open, the risk of further French strike action remains.
During the strike, Border Force, working with the French authorities, put in place well-tested contingency plans, reinforcing security and supporting traffic flow at the juxtaposed ports. All freight vehicles entering Calais, Coquelles and Dunkirk underwent intensified screening using some of the best techniques and technologies in the world – including sniffer dogs, carbon dioxide detectors, heartbeat monitors and scanners – as well as visual searches to find and intercept stowaways. Over 8,000 attempts by illegal migrants were successfully stopped at the juxtaposed ports during the strike period, thanks to these joint efforts.
The strike affected the travelling public and local residents of Kent who suffered disruption due to traffic. The Home Secretary will be meeting colleagues from Kent to discuss this issue directly. It also had a huge impact on hauliers from all over the country – who were subjected to long delays and repeated attempts by illegal migrants to board their vehicles.
Support for hauliers
We are working with the British haulage industry to support our drivers, and I recently met representatives of the industry to discuss their concerns. We provide clear guidance on lorry security and an accreditation scheme for hauliers. However, as the vast majority of vehicles arriving in the UK are foreign registered, the bigger part of our challenge is international, which is why we have offered to host an international event to promote best practice in lorry security.
Yesterday, the Home Secretary announced the creation of a new secure zone at the port of Calais for UK-bound lorries. This will provide a secure waiting area for 230 vehicles – the equivalent of removing a two-and-a-half mile queue from the approaching road. As peak-time queues rarely exceed this length, it will transform protection for lorries and their drivers – removing them from the open road where they can become targets for migrants.
Bolstering security for all travellers
HM Government has been working closely with the French Government over a longer period to tackle with the broader situation in Calais. Earlier this month, the Home Secretary met the French Interior Minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, and agreed to strengthen that cooperation further and build on the Joint Declaration they made last September. Since then we have:
- committed to investing £12 million (of which £6 million has already been spent) to reinforce security at our juxtaposed ports in Northern France. This includes new fencing to secure the approaches to the port of Calais and joint work to improve traffic flow through the port and Border Force controls, so that more tourist vehicles can queue within the secure environment of the port. This work is due to be completed at the end of this month;
- funded a £2 million upgrade of detection technology; and boosted our dog searching capability by another £1 million; and
- provided funding for additional fencing to help secure approaches to the Channel Tunnel at Coquelles, where repeated incursions have taken place over the last few weeks. This work, which we announced last week, has already begun and is also due to finish by the end of this month.
In addition, we have made considerable progress in targeting criminal gangs in Calais through better intelligence sharing and increased collaboration between UK and French law enforcement agencies, and we are running joint communications campaigns to tackle myths about life in the UK. We continue to keep the situation under review and will assess whether further measures may be required.
Tackling the problem at source
The problems in Calais are clearly symptomatic of a wider issue that needs to be tackled at source and in transit countries. This was reflected in the recent European Council discussions attended by the Prime Minister. The Government is clear that we must break the link between people making the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean and achieving settlement in Europe. We must target and disrupt the organised criminal gangs who profit from this.
We are enhancing our work with European and African partners to tackle these callous criminal gangs and increase the support for genuine refugees in their regions of origin.
Recently, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a dedicated law enforcement team to tackle organised immigration crime in the Mediterranean. Around 90 officers will be deployed in the UK, the Mediterranean and Africa to pursue and disrupt organised crime groups. They will make use of every opportunity at source, in transit countries, and in Europe to smash the gangs’ criminal operations and better protect the UK and the vulnerable people they exploit.
Continuing our work to crack down on illegal immigration
And finally, whilst the UK should remain generous to those who need help, we must also continue to be tough on those who flout our immigration rules or abuse our hospitality as a nation.
Since 2010, the Government has introduced new laws to make it harder for people to live in the UK illegally – restricting their access to rented housing, bank accounts, driving licences and our public services. We have revoked the driving licences of 11,000 illegal immigrants, closed down nearly 900 bogus colleges, and carried out over 2900 sham marriage operations in the past year.
The new Immigration Bill that we will introduce later this year will build on this work and enable us to take even stronger action. It will include measures to make it even more difficult for people to live in the UK illegally, make it easier for us to deport them, and make Britain a less attractive place for people to come and work illegally – by making illegal working a criminal offence in itself.
The Government’s approach is clear: we are working closely with the French authorities to mitigate the consequences of irresponsible French strikers; continuing our close collaboration to bolster the security of the ports in Northern France; providing assistance to our hard-working hauliers and the travelling public; and leading the international efforts to tackle this problem in the longer term – with generous support for those who deserve it, and tough sanctions for those who do not.
The Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP
Immigration Minister “
July 17, 2015
Yes thats all very nice but the magnet of free money remains in place as do the human rights laws and lawyers that will make it virtually impossible to get anybody removed. There is nothing there to say that any foreign born rapist/murderer cannot stay because he no longer has the “right to a family life”. Even more galling for the victims is the other excuse that he must stay because “his life would be endangered should he be returned home’.
Admit it JR nothing going change, all the above is just lip service to the voters who are racists anyway. We have got to have an unimpeded flow of cheap skilled labour because you lot have a cult like following to neo lib economics who say its the only way to “prosperity”.
July 17, 2015
It’s not just neo-liberal economics,we still have the liberal establishment view-and legal framework-that the country should be made more diverse.None of the apparatus of enforced multiculturalism has been removed despite it being declared dead.
July 17, 2015
Hardly anyone is removed not that is stop them spending a fortune deciding on their legal position (why bother if nothing happens anyway?).
So yes indeed a magnet and a parasitic legal industry we all have to fund.
July 17, 2015
No, this mass immigration policy of Cameron’s is deliberate. £750 million allocated in the budget on more tax staff when there is no control or security of our borders and still no accurate way of counting people in or out- perhaps he does not realise we are surrounded by sea! No control of preventing or monitoring serious offenders entering the country from the EU who can pick up a passport along the way, try getting in the U.S. after being arrested for a drugs offence, not charged. He has failed his duty to provide us proper security. Getting involved in Middle East wars only exacerbates our insecurity. Blair was warned by the security services before Iraq that home grown terrorism would increase.
I think this is what Maggie referred to her in speech when she commented about losing our sovereignty and identity to EU bureaucrats. Mass immigration is seen by the politicos as a way of ridding nation states of democratic sovereignty, changing culture, values and beliefs and, in their view, that dread national identity.
Cameron knows full well he has supported and continued this EU dream by allowing mass immigration. The above should be seen for what it is, complete nonsense. An island is easy to protect from immigration if there was a will to do so.
Once more, we had his serious looking face, weasel words and no substantive action. He keeps talking about welfare as it is he only reason why people come here then in the next breath offers to give away social housing! Give free university tuition to EU students while imposing a life time of debt for English students and then says they should make them go home!
July 18, 2015
Hope: “this mass immigration policy of Cameron’s is deliberate.”
Oh right, so immigration only started in 2010 did it?… More UKIP ignorance.
July 20, 2015
No it did not. But Labour were not pretending to curb it. Cameron was clear in his no ifs or buts to cut the number to tens of thousands. This is fact not ignorance. Try reading a little more, you might get your facts and context right.
July 17, 2015
Have driving licences been issued to immigrants based on their foreign licence?If so, this may explain some of the appalling driving with lack of patience, queue jumping and horn blowing that is experienced in the London area. The testing standards in other countries may be much lower, and possibly involved corrupt payments, judging from the total lack of driving ability in some cases. If this is the case, it must surely be because HMG feels it would be incorrect from a discrimination point of view and this overides safety of other road users.
July 17, 2015
@stred; “Have driving licences been issued to immigrants based on their foreign licence?If so, this may explain some of the appalling driving with lack of patience, queue jumping and horn blowing that is experienced in the London area”
Heck, it was like that 30 and more years ago in London!
“The testing standards in other countries may be much lower, and possibly involved corrupt payments, judging from the total lack of driving ability in some cases.”
Far from me to suggest illegal payments but the standards shown by some UK born drivers might suggest that they either have a licence fraudulently or non at all, in some cases there road-craft and ability to control a motor vehicle in the most basic of ways is so non existent that one might think it is their first ever outing behind a steering wheel or handlebars of a motorised vehicle capable of more than 20 mph.
Carry on finding those scapegoats for all the UK’s own born and bread problems, from being work-shy to dangerous driving.
July 18, 2015
Jerry ,
What is at the root of your underlying hatred for Britain and British people , especially poor British people who suffer most from mass immigration ?
Do you automatically support the opposition when the England football team are playing ?
July 18, 2015
@ADS; Oh you do protest to much. Why do YOU hate the true facts so much, because they cramp your rants perhaps?
July 18, 2015
Jerry. I have been driving in London and around for over 40 years. True, the driving has always been occasionally bad, but it has been getting worse this last 10. It is aggressive tail gating, light flashing, horn blowing, not waiting in turn to overtake, undertaking and swerving out, traffic weaving on motorways, middle lane hogging, and not slowing to allow cars to pull out in difficult traffic that is particularly increased. I am not, by the way, a slow driver, causing hold ups. Very often the drivers are of foreign appearance, though not always. The ones who exceed speed limits through cameras must, presumably, be unregistered in order to avoid fines.
July 18, 2015
@stred; “I have been driving in London and around for over 40 years. True, the driving has always been occasionally bad, but it has been getting worse this last 10.”
As it has everywhere, the “child of Thatcherism” having grown up and gained their driving licences perhaps?
The Me! Me! Me! generation who want it and want it now – including that bit of road space, after all their school teachers kept telling then that they could do anything, be anyone, the only restriction being wanting it badly enough…
“Very often the drivers are of foreign appearance”
Oh right so people can’t even LOOK foreign now… 🙄
“The ones who exceed speed limits through cameras must, presumably, be unregistered in order to avoid fines.”
More crass, and ignorant, assumptions…
July 20, 2015
Utter tosh again Jerry.
July 17, 2015
It means driving licences having been issued to illegal immigrants….. Which means that driving licences were issued to illegal immigrants without checking their status notwithstanding their eligibility to drive doubtless. And, of course, the fact that they withdrew those licences from the illegal immigrants means that they would never dream of driving a car again… LOL…. That’s before even considering if they were even removed from the country after the withdrawal of a licence!
I suspect that the sham marriages would be to EU nationals, again another loophole which is unable to be closed without ‘a fundamental change in the nature of our relationship with EU’ ™……
zorro
July 17, 2015
The connection this posting on levels of high immigration to the UK and the topic of the recent posts on Greece and the economic chaos in the EZ should not be overlooked.
It’s natural that if things are better in the UK than they are in the EZ that more people, both from inside and outside the EU, will want to come and work in the UK. That’s not a bad thing, but on the other hand it wouldn’t be a bad thing if British workers could find jobs in the EZ too!
So, although some in the EZ (like Peter van Leeuwen?) might consider that their problems aren’t UK problems, we ourselves might disagree on that point.
July 17, 2015
There are plenty of UK nationals working in the EU, I am one!
Here in Belgium I need to renew my Belgian ID card (which shows me as being a foreign national, not a Belgian citizen) and to do so I need a letter from my employer to attest I still have a job here. UK needs to have somthing along those lines in order that it can be demonstrated that the person is living abroad to work (or as the spouse etc.. of someone who is).
July 18, 2015
Quite ,
It all goes to show that where there is a will , there is a way .
Shows Cameron and May up for being devoid of will .
I’ve made about 20 site visits to Antwerp over the years and found Belgians great people and great to do business with .
Sure they were a mixture of Flemish and Walloons .
Always made money working with Belgian clients , lost money every time working with French clients .
Strange thing about France was that about 5% were working intensively well in excess of 35hrs per weeks and the other 95% were mucking about . Found out later that the 5% were contractors .
July 17, 2015
I would like to know which part of the EU setup PvL works in so that I can judge his contribution accordingly.
July 17, 2015
@Graham: ????
July 17, 2015
It has always been so. And is still so by countries not in the EU. Before joining the EEC, now EU, it was controlled at a level the country could cope with. This Tory Govt is deliberately doing one thing while telling the country a pack of lies. You cannot have any form of control of there is no means to count people in and out, border staff not able to ask people from the EU why they are coming to the country or how long they might stay. Or have a judicial system controlled by the EU being the final arbiter on who might stay. Pretty basic stuff.
July 17, 2015
@petermartin2001: You want to come and work in Holland – ok, learn some Dutch! At the same time a bit of protection against too many migrants, who already know a bit of English but no Dutch.
July 18, 2015
There can be no protection against “too many migrants” Peter, under freedom of movement rules.
Its a central pillar of the EU
I’m surprised you did not realise
And to discriminate against European migrants on the grounds they speak no Dutch is not allowed either.
July 18, 2015
EU migrants are not a great problem in the Netherlands. Apart from Bulgarian/Romanian fraud cases they tend not to exploit our social benefit system (good national legislation, compared to yours I suspect) and they do add to our economy (proven in independent research).
The language requirement is for people from OUTSIDE the EU, who have to pass a Dutch exam abroad before they can apply for a longterm visum. Dutch is needed in many (not all) professions.
You will have.r realised that people crossing the Mediterranean are from outside the EU.
July 18, 2015
Peter vL
When I worked in Den Haag for an American company with American Execs none of us spoke Dutch. I think you’ll find the USA is outside of the EU, how on earth did they get in then?
July 19, 2015
Peter, once “the people from outside the EU crossing the Mediterreanean” arrive in Italy or Greece etc they become valid EU people.
Or if that fails they simply claim refugee or asylum status.
July 17, 2015
If the Royal Navy rescues illegal immigrants from the sea and ferries them to the EU, which is what they want, then obviously that it assisting and encouraging the flow of illegal immigrants some of whom will inevitably end up causing these problems at Calais. Instead the navy should frustrate their attempts at illegal entry by taking them back to North Africa and depositing them safely on any convenient beach. As for the traffickers, if they can be identified, if they resist they could be dealt with by force, if necessary lethal force, and if captured they should be locked up a long time to take them out of play, but once the demand for their services has been suppressed by making them ineffective they will stop offering them anyway. Nobody would keep paying to get on a boat if they knew that they would just end up where they started, having put their life at risk in the process; it is the coastguards and navies of the EU states which are actively causing the trafficking trade to flourish and increase, when they should be suppressing it. The Royal Navy did not suppress the slave trade by intercepting slavers and taking their human cargo on to the planned destination, that would have been daft, and the policy of ferrying illegal immigrants into the EU is equally daft.
July 17, 2015
Dennis, I agree with you. However, the ridiculous proposal to have 90 officers in the med and Africa is hilarious if not so serious. The UK should not police Europe or Africa that is what they use their overseas aid for. If it is not it could be made a condition of the gift of money. What are they going to do arrest the navy for aiding and abetting! Police cuts by 20 percent here! Australia has stopped similar practice by not allowing them to land, certainly not give them a free ride. EU asylum seeker / immigration policy criticised by Farage in EU and endorsed by former second in command at EU.
Is this another attempt to get the public to accept a joint EU police force? There is very little likelihood of any traffickers being caught by UK police being deployed in the med and Africa. Good chance of being captured by ISIS. A total waste of resource. The minister concerned should be dragged before a select committee and forced to explain his stupidity. A lot of hot air no substance, perhaps he was selected by being a mirror image of his useless leader? 10 percent pay rise for people like this when Cameron caps all other public sector workers at 1 percent. You could not make it up.
July 17, 2015
Our main interest isn’t actually illegal immigration.
It is the incomprehensible scale of legitimate immigration that Conservatives are willing to allow. (You didn’t mention our exploding population levels in your recent post on our transport system’s inability to cope with current levels of congestion, let alone future ones. )
One expects that the illegal immigrants at Calais will get their citizenship elsewhere in the EU and make their way here anyway. Recent scenes at the French border are helpful proof that our generosity is ever more world famous after 5 years of Tory rule.
The problem may well be shunted along – to spare the Tories embarassment. This rather exposes the fact that they actually approve of subsidising those who can undercut British people in the name of free market competitivity.
You have absolutely no control over the rapid growth and change in our population, therefore every policy proposal is an irrelevance – especially where the author repeatedly avoids the economic fundamentals of mass immigration, and its effects on the nature of country we are likely to become or how many of us there will be.
July 17, 2015
How many terrorist suspects remain in the UK which the EU will not allow the Govt. to deport? FIO being reviewed to what government dept should disclose, presumably to prevent transparency and openness, freedom of speech curtailed in the press, snooping on personal emails, HMRC allowed to raid personal bank accounts without proper judicial process and the Govt introduced EAW so any UK citizen can be carted off to some back water Eastern European country without evidence or likelihood of speedy process. Brought to you by the TORY govt whose leader claims transparency is the best disinfectant! Anyone believe him? Is this his real idea of the Big Society or does he mean oppressive state?
July 17, 2015
The secure zone is an excellent idea, better were it set up on the coast of North Africa. Make sure that lorries ,once in this zone are subjected to all the security checks you mention. It won’t take migrants long to realise that it is easier to get aboard well before Calais.
The real problem remains because we belong to the EU, a gateway for illegal immigrants, legal immigrants and terrorists. Politicians like to talk of net immigration because it in effect halves the perceived problem.
In 2014 , 323,000 people left the UK. An estimated 10% of them well educated and highly skilled, preferring the opportunities for a better life in Australia and Canada. The better off retired joined them but tended to stay within Europe where weather and medical services are more attractive. So the net figure of 318,000 becomes in reality 641,000 of generally low income and more likely to be dependant on our already stretched social services, education and housing. Wealth out, dependency in.
I can understand why people wish to come to the UK legally or otherwise , and sympathise with them in some cases, but the shear scale of it is unsustainable. When will your leader wake up to the answer.
July 17, 2015
The govt should be threatening legal action against the French govt for failing to allow free movement of goods and people between the UK and France unless the French govt can be shown to be taking the strongest possible action to break the strike. We see again the damage caused by the cancer of union militancy, where a small number of public sector workers can hold a whole nation to ransom. Bring on the new trade union bill in the UK at least, and let’s tell the French govt that if they can’t fix this they need to use their military to run the ports.
July 17, 2015
@Richard1; Stop trying to tell another sovereign nation how to run their country, after all people like you object strongly when the EU, Germany or France say try and tell a sovereign United Kingdom what to do…
July 17, 2015
The French govt is under a treaty obligation with the UK to ensure freedom of movement of people and goods between France and the UK.
July 18, 2015
@Richard1; Indeed just as the UK is under the same and other treaty obligation too, if the UK doesn’t (want to) respect her own commitments then you can’t blame others for also taking a some what laissez-faire attitude when nit comes to enacting such regulation. Never mind the fact that in France such strike action is legal, so what you are actually asking is for the French state to illegally break a legal strike… Nor are these workers “public sector”, they actually work(ed) in a French ‘SCOP’ [1] (so under French employment laws), contracted to a UK company, so if the UK were to try and take legal action it might backfire as this strike has it’s origins in UK competition and contract laws.
Anyway, as there are other routes available to road hauliers and container traffic, via the western “Benelux” countries and possibly other French ports to, there has been no restriction to the “freedom of movement of people and goods between France and the UK”.
[1] société coopérative et participative
July 17, 2015
Another uninformed post. The strikes have been happening because of previous MyFerryLink’s workers disagreements with the new owners, DFDS, both private companies. So here again the usual tosh about public sector workers.
There really are a lot of people on this blog who are just talking out nonsense, not taking the two minutes needed to check their assertions. Is that “democratic dialogue”? More some kind of rabid blurting.
July 17, 2015
You’re right. In France the cancer of union militancy extends right into the private sector. In the UK at least it’s more or less confined to the public sector.
July 18, 2015
@Richard1; “In France the cancer of union militancy extends right into the private sector.”
Funny then how France outshines the UK in so many ways, do remind us who – after Germany, who also have strong unions etc.- has the larger car industry, France or the UK, who has the better railways, France or the UK, who has the better roads, France or the UK etc.. No one is saying that France is perfect, both France and the UK could learn from being more like Germany with their ‘talk as equals’ attitude to such dialogue rather than the UK’s constant employer-union wars.
July 19, 2015
Jerry
The French Health Service according to the World Health Organisation is the worlds number 1 health system ( UK NHS is 18th ). Why did you not mention that Jerry?
There are roughly 6 million UK members of trade unions ( 4 million of those being in the public sector) this is DOWN from nearly 14 million in 1979.
Germany despite having a larger population has an almost identical number of trade union members at 6 million.
In the last 3 months the following unions have been on national strike
Deutsche Bahn train Drivers demanding 5% pay rise
Kindergarten staff walked out in a dispute over pay.
And it is just a few weeks since pilots at the national carrier, Lufthansa, staged the latest in a series of strikes.
There were 214 strikes in Germany in 2014.
As I’ve been telling everyone the world is changing and the new model is small, local. In Germany mega unions ( like ours) were the norm. This is now changing with lots of smaller break away unions and far more ” Craft Unions”. In order to stay relevant the large unions are becoming more militant, quicker to down tools and demanding larger and larger pay rises.
The UK and French car industries are almost identical in size except the UK is growing and France is shrinking and whilst talking about cars why are you only comparing 3 countries? The USA, China and Japan all manufacture vastly more cars than Germany and in fact India isn’t far behind Germany either.
The UK is now Europe’s second-biggest car market behind Germany at 2.95million sales (down 4.2 per cent) and ahead of France (down 5.7 per cent).
July 19, 2015
@libertarian; Stop trying to guild a weed…
The French health service is not free, as I’ve pointed out elsewhere to selective your half truths.
As for strikes, well yes if a government effectively makes it difficult or close to impossible (never mind illegal [1]) for workers to strike then there will be a very low strike rate, but what does that prove – and to think that some call the EU a dictatorship. 🙁
[1] libertarian, you also seem to celibate the demise of organised labour, I wonder why…
As for the UK car industry, we don’t have one, we merely have foreign owned assembly plants with some limited R&D, the results of which are owned by those foreign owned companies – otherwise you will have no problem naming one major mass produced UK owned make and brand.
July 19, 2015
Jerry..France outshines the UK in so many ways”
Followed by a list of things that show France is second best to the UK
Yet stranbely no mention of cheese and wine.
It reminded me of Pythons Life of Brian “what have the Romans done for us”
Hilarious Jerry yet again!
July 20, 2015
Jerry
Your inability to follow a logical debate is pathetic.
No one mentioned HOW Health is provided . France are officially far better than the NHS at health. Thats a fact Jerry, live with it. The fact that its only part taxpayer funded is neither here nor there.
No one mentioned the ownership of car companies ( Jerry your knowledge of business is so vanishingly poor ). You do know there are only 3 German car companies don’t you ?
Jaguar is a British car company, HQ’d in UK. The fact that the owners are an Indian company is irrelevant. For instance a large part of French car industry is part owned by Japanese.
I suggest you read this from the UK Society of Motor Manufacturers
http://www.smmt.co.uk/industry-topics/uk-automotive-sector/#responsiveTabs1
Small is beautiful and there are more than 35 UK car manufacturers.
Jerry I’m beginning to worry about you. Why do you make up a lie and then put a number in brackets next to it as if it was some kind of scientific reference point?
For your info dear boy I was a trade union member for many years, and as i type this I’m awaiting a reply from the TUC on a meeting date for a collaborative project we’re working on. So as always you are WRONG.
Jerry
Please don’t bother to respond. It is pointless you just changing the goalposts and pretending the thread is about something else
July 17, 2015
Hefner
What you say is correct but not the whole story. My FerryLink ships were owned by Eurotunnel. They were ordered by the Competition Commission to sell off the service which they did to DFDS with the result that maybe upto 600 jobs could be lost. Thats one reason the French strikers have been setting fire to tyres in the tunnel approaches. .
July 18, 2015
@libertarian; If you are going to tell the whole story then do so, not just the bits that fit your rants about French workers. There is much disquiet about the CMA’s findings. This is not just a simple case of 600 redundancies but a potential conflict of interest in the decisions made within CMA that have basically shut down My FerryLink – this is all a matter of official public record in both France and the UK.
July 18, 2015
Jerry
Do stop with the schoolboy rhetoric. I have not ranted about anything, I agreed with Hefner and gave a bit more background. You googled ( as you always do and then pretend to know something) and added NOT A SINGLE thing to what I just posted. There is a concern over one member of the CMA board. However it is past that now as DFDS lost patience and closed the 2 passenger ships leaving just the dangerous goods ship in operation. Nowhere have I expressed an opinion one way or the other on the rightness or otherwise of French Port workers. In fact if you ever bothered to read anything in order to learn rather than to just post a contrary post about EVERYTHING you will see that I explicitly said that French port workers are NOT the sole reason that Operation Stack happens frequently either.
Jerry I notice you don’t post the whole story either, so dear boy stop your ranting, raging and me me me nonsense and learn
The striking French workers were working for MyFerryLink ( A company formed in 2012 on the demise of SeaFrance) whose ships were owned by Eurotunnel. The Competition Commission ( now the CMA )ordered the company to be sold which it duly was to DFDS ( Det Forenede Dampskibs-Selskab ) a Danish company. One member of the CMA board is a former senior employee of DFDS. The French are striking over the possible loss of up to 600 jobs. the SCOP workers were crew and staff of the 3 ships, the Port workers are on strike in sympathy.
Jerry
You earlier gave a list of things that the French do better than us but strangely you left off the most important one !
The French Health Service according to the World Health Organisation is the worlds number 1 health system ( UK NHS is 18th ). Why did you not mention that Jerry?
July 19, 2015
@libertarian; I did not post the whole story as I was unsure that it would pass moderation on legal issues (hence my note about the such details being in the public domain), I was simply trying to highlight the bigger picture, perhaps I was being to cautious – Oh and how come you now post far more detail than you tried to spin before if I did not add anything to your previous comment that showed there is far more to this dispute than job losses as you attempted to spin it?
As for the WHO stats. More half-facts to fit your ongoing anti NHS rants, the French health service is not totally “free” (as in, paid for out of central taxation), unlike the NHS. Most French adults, and those living in France, need to have some form of medical insurance as the state usually only refunds around 70% of the health care bill. No one, least of all me, is suggesting that the actual French medical health care is not first class, the issue is about access/charges.
July 19, 2015
Jerry
Don’t try and change the goal posts again. You admonished me for not telling the whole story , so I did. Get over it.
I didn’t post it before as it is totally irrelevant to where we are now which is that the former crews of the 2 passenger ships operated by MyFerryLink have lost their jobs and are on strike to protest it. I was explaining why the strikers were angry with Eurotunnel for those like yourself who didn’t know the connection until you googled it.
You are probably the worst debater on this site. No one mentioned prices or methods of provision of health. YOU gave a list of things the French do better, you left off ( deliberately because it totally contradicts your other opinions) the fact that France is recognised for having the worlds best healthcare system. I dont suppose it would dawn on you that maybe the reason its so good is because of the way they organise it !!!
Oh and you don’t even seem to know that the NHS isn’t free either. It costs money Jerry, taxpayers money. On top of that there are lots of things ( prescriptions for instance, hearing aids, eye tests and glasses, dental costs, etc etc ) that are charged for directly to the patient.
So no Jerry, stop your wriggling, fudging and changing goalposts part way through a thread. The debate that YOU started was about things the French do better NOT how much they cost. The French are better at health than NHS England
July 19, 2015
There you are Libertarian, you are completely wrong but Jerry can’t say why for legal reasons!
July 17, 2015
Good morning.
We have all these measures to try and stop these illegal ‘economic’ migrants yet, they still manage to get here.
Many have relatives already in the UK and can give them shelter, food and find them work in the black economy. Closing bank accounts and the like will not work as they either have means to circumvent these or simply work for cash. One only to look around places like (x ed)to know what I mean.
Tackling the problem at source is simply not robust enough. We must understand and accept that these people, for the most part, are economic migrants and are seeking to game the system in order to have a better life. It would be far better to seek to make life better in their own countries. That way they would have no reason to leave in the first place. An EU Customs Union prohibits trade with tariffs and unfavourable trading rights, and so stops growth in those countries. Without suitable oppotunities it is only natural that these people seek a better life.
Hard those this may be to some, it high time that the UK looked at its committment to various treaties and our membership to the EU which, by said membership, we are tied to many of them such as the gastly Human Rights. We need to be a little harder.
July 17, 2015
This is all political waffle. The French government have utterly failed to keep the rule of law in and around Calais. They stood back and watched as strikers caused criminal damage and immigrants ran riot. Apparently if you are a unionized thug that considers his employment problems more important than other peoples livelihoods you can do anything you like in France. Instead of protesting at the EU, who caused the problems, they took their anger out on truck drivers and travelers coming or going to Britain. This sort of behavior is unacceptable.
What we heard from UK ministers was a weak whimpering about how terrible it was. Now we hear that Britain has to pay for security at a French port. How is that reasonable? Do the French pay for border patrols that they insist Italy mounts at Ventimiglia to prevent immigrants entering France? I don’t think so. Our government has completely failed (as usual) in holding French government and law enforcement to account. They should have made it absolutely clear that if the French were unable to control their own country we would retaliate by restricting their trade. A legal case should be brought against the government, police and unions in France and ferry companies should actively look for alternatives to Calais. Zeebrugge is one. It’s already used by ferries from Britain and whilst it’s further to go it is in Belgium whose police do keep order. Expand that port. Even at extra cost and time I’m pretty sure all those drivers sat on the M20 would be happy to go there. I certainly would now pay extra to avoid France.
July 17, 2015
Until we control our own borders we have no way of combating illegal immigration. Illegals should be returned to Calais immediately. This of course won’t stop the flow of immigrants given EU papers.
You are no nearer reducing immigration than you were 5 years ago. Half a million each year and rising.
July 17, 2015
down to the 10’s of thousands, no ifs no buts as some say.
July 17, 2015
No mention of repatriation of those found illegally in this country.
A processing centre set up in Africa near the coast would enable France to ship those in Calais , Italy to ship those in the Mediterranean ports and Greek those on their islands to once place for assessment. The economies of scale would make it cheaper than current arrangements.
The reduced chances of success and knowledge of swift removal to an African centre will discourage many opportunists from attempting to travel.
To the human rights sirens who will accuse this measure of lack of compassion, these people have voluntarily made themselves stateless and transient, in this solution they merely remain so.
We can not have borders that are not respected, our own livelihoods deserve protection.
July 17, 2015
It will not be long before the RNLI will be asking for Royal naval help to rescue desperate migrants from leaky boats crossing the The Channel.
The EU will overcome the reluctance of the UK and others from taking the some of the hoards of immigrants arriving in Greece and Italy by the simple expedient of giving them rights to stay documents that give them the right to enter the UK legally. Which I understand is already happening.
While I believe in the concept of open borders if it continues in this unfettered way there is going to be serious damaging consequences. An urgent solution has to be found and that can only be done if brave if somewhat to some cruel decisions are made.
July 17, 2015
The section headed “Tackling the problem at source” is key. I suggest, with no evidence but with considerable confidence, that the great majority of English people remain baffled and angry that the problem of mass illegal immigration persists, and that the problem really is not being tackled at source.
It does not take a genius to guess why so many go to enormous pains to cross Europe and try to blag their way into the UK: it is not that they have a lifelong love of cricket, country pubs, Shakespeare and Her Majesty, but because they see us as a soft touch and a source of cash.
The achievements of the Border Force should not be denigrated, but they are shackled by political timidity and indeed perversity: our leaders have, for far too long, declined to acknowledge the simple fact that mass immigration from very foreign cultures is not required, and is detrimental to our culture. Not to say very expensive…
If illegal immigrants were returned immediately – no ifs, buts, quibbles, appeals or delays – to their last known or presumed point of departure, the flow would dry up remarkably quickly, to the relief of our citizens – and the people of Calais…
The political class always pooh-poohs this as impossible, undesirable, heartless, not permissible under international law or humanitarian considerations – etc etc. I do not give a damn. I suggest strongly that an awful lot of others think likewise. Our leaders’ duty seems perfectly clear to everyone except themselves.
July 17, 2015
I think we’re overlooking a massive opportunity for the NHS in among all this.
I’ve noticed – from BBC or Channel Four News Reporters – who interview migrants in France who are attempting to enter the UK, that practically all of them seem to be either Doctors, Dentists or Surgeons.
Shouldn’t someone from the NHS be travelling to the world’s centre-of-excellence for the medical sciences (Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea) and try to establish just how they manage to churn out so many otherwise redundant Medical experts and qualified professionals? It seems to be a remarkably successful model?
July 17, 2015
Whilst I welcome any sort of action that will stop illegals trying to enter our Country, this action is really the last resort in a whole chain of failures.
Failure 1
The real security should be at the extreme borders of the EU with Non EU Countries not between them, due to the policy of allowing free movement.
Failure 2
Anyone found attempting to enter the EU should be turned back immediately after questioning.
Failure 3
Operating a plan to rescue people from the sea and then to bring them into the EU is short sighted, as it will lead to more having to be rescued as more and more people take that route, as it rewards effort.
Failure 4
If we are going to patrol the seas then do so just outside local waters and take them back to the Country they left, as an example to others.
Modern radar can track the route of such boats.
Failure 5
Our borders are only as secure as the weakest link in border control and paperwork system of the whole EU.
If an EU Country gives so called refugees temporary papers then they are free to travel anywhere within the EU.
Failure 6.
Genuine Refugees, if that is what they claim to be, are supposed to claim asylum in the first friendly country they get to, not the last.
Failure 7.
The fact that these people are even in France, means the French have failed to operate their own border controls elsewhere.
Failure 8.
Yes good idea to build a secure holding area in Calais, but then all you are doing is shifting the problem back a few hundred yards.
Failure 9.
Not all waiting ports of entry will have so called secure holding areas. We travel to France on a regular basis for holidays, many ports do not have the higher security of Calais.
Failure 10.
On return from our recent holiday (not Calais) not a single towed caravan or motor home was searched or even opened.
Many other suggestions, in truth, the real problem is free movement of people without any form of checking within the EU, and failure of the EU far flung borders.
Our present benefits system and refugee policy does not help either.
Perhaps some Ministers should actually travel within the EU as normal people, then they may have a clue as to what is really going on, rather than being fast tracked through a priority or official transport system.
July 17, 2015
Indeed trying to be superficially “kind” just makes the situation worse & worse and more people risk their lives. Australia learned this and it worked, as you would logically expect it to.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
July 17, 2015
I would also suggest that the state doesn’t fine lorry drivers who report they believe they have had illegal immigrants get into and hide in, their truck trailer. I cannot think of a more stupid idea, than fining someone who turns these people in and would indeed go so far as to suggest that, it is the best way to stop drivers from reporting their suspicions to the “Border Force Officers.” (sic) More like Border Farce if you ask me!
July 17, 2015
‘underwent intensified screening using some of the best techniques and technologies in the world’
The usual bragging, comes as standard.
—
‘However, as the vast majority of vehicles arriving in the UK are foreign registered…..’
Translation ‘But we are failing’.
Solution?
‘an international event to promote best practice in lorry security.’
Don’t make me laugh.
You should ban all foreign hauliers who refuse to be searched and don’t have secure lorries. Will you? Of course not – it isn’t the done thing old boy. But if you did and enforced it with vigour they will get the message – and so will our importers – and do something if they wished to continue trading. Then no need for a bloody conference to do some grandstanding – a PR stunt to give an illusion of action.
—
As for the people crossing the Med., tow them or take them back and then sink the boats that brought them. We know where being all gentlemanly and reasonable gets us. They and the ‘lands’ they depart from are playing you for fools, you must know it if you are part of the world the rest of us inhabit – so I don’t know how you can have the brass neck to get up and face the world each morning and feed us with half-hearted ‘guff’.
These illegal immigrants and criminals are all around us- but are they in your back garden yet Mr Brokenshire? I suspect only when the shoe pinches your foot will you and Cameron get some backbone.
July 17, 2015
‘an international event to promote best practice in lorry security.’
I too had a chuckle at this.
The only certain way to stop this is to thoroughly search every vehicle. Just as we are checked when going on a flight. It may cause delays and increased costs, but in the long run it is the only thing that works.
July 17, 2015
Asylum seekers cost us £786million: Bill to house and feed migrants soars 46%
POLICE and the Government have been blasted over their “disastrous” handling of the migrant crisis after 18 suspected illegal immigrants were FREED moments after arriving in the UK.
I could go on all day typing stories about this shambles.
July 17, 2015
Alas, I do not see mention in this communique that the fast track asylum system has been declared unlawful too so that means another massive driver to the UK as they will not be able to detain asylum seekers and that allied with budget cuts and staff reductions will make their job trebly difficult….. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/12/fast-track-asylum-system-ruled-unlawful
zorro
July 17, 2015
Speaking to people just returned from the Med, it seems that the current MO is to put the migrants on to boats, then send them north. The migrants, meanwhile, are given a phone number to ring on their iPhones when the app on said iPhone tells them that they are out of Libyan waters. The Med is where the problem lies. As for the problem we have at home here, the first two comments today are bang on, but could be summed up in two words aimed at politicians and the Border Force. TOUGHEN UP. The bleeding hearts will tell us all the same arguments, but the people of Kent and Lincolnshire, etc, are entitled to a life and a home too.
July 17, 2015
If the Government was serious about securing our borders they would put customs officials on all the ferries , searching every vehicle before it got here. After all while the vehicles are on the ferry they all standing still not going anywhere for half an hour or so, and by searching them doesn’t delay anybody.
But the pull factor for the illegals won’t lessen until we get out of the UN convention for asylum seekers, which has just turned into a racket, and get tough on deporting people, for right now the opportunity to disappear is probably the attraction to getting here.
July 17, 2015
Perhaps Boris Johnson should sell his idle water cannon equipment to Calais, where there would appear to be a use for it.
There is a problem with tackling the problem at source in Africa: Many African countries are badly governed and want to export their surplus population. The ‘Send them condoms and nothing else’ school of foreign aid has a point.
July 17, 2015
I read the whole thing, not a single mention of the main problem which is the attitude of the French government who are quite happy to let the situation with illegal immigrants and asylum seekers at Calais continue. It’s about time they were told they were being Bad Europeans for not sorting it out as they are required under EU law to do, illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have to be dealt with in the EU country they arrive in.
July 17, 2015
The Ministerial Update should not be jokey and likely to promote racial hatred.
Some young people going on their “Round Town ” or Pub Crawl drinking sprees on Saturday nights sometimes fall foul of our law. The psychology of walking in groups, being together and excitable are well known to our police authorities. These young people learn what happens when they overstep the mark.
Imagine these self-same young people having either personally experienced or seen their peers bundled into police vans or more. Imagine what they may think and indeed feel when they see adults, in complete sober control of their actions, cross the mark in Calais.
No bundling into police vans, no wrestling to the floor and handcuffing. Nothing, nothing nothing.
“The UK and French Governments have been working closely together”. In a pub?
One has seen the behaviour of gendarmes at French famed demonstrations and I guess French young people have a version of a round-town booze binge with uncomfortable outcomes if they cross the line.
So stop the joking. Stop wasting millions of our money. British and French children are looking on and taking it all seriously. Racial and social harmony requires the law to be upheld. Do it!
July 17, 2015
What concerns me is that we know nothing about most of these people. Why do they not bring papers with them so we can identify who they are and where they really come from? (Some? ed) could well be terrorists who, once they have enough of them in Europe, could create havoc. The fact that they will all get documents to stay in Europe makes them a threat to the UK. We cannot stop them coming in. With the economies in Europe, especially Greece at the moment, we will find more European moving to the UK as it is let alone half of Africa. The problem will not go away and we have to start taking boat people back to Africa and not letting any set foot on European soil. We also have to make it less attractive for them to come here in the first place. As you say John, once they start to affect the lives of many prominent politicians maybe something will be done. Getting out of Europe is paramount if we want to control who comes here in the first place.
July 17, 2015
“The vast majority of vehicles are foreign registered”, yes,because our diesel is dearer than in Europe and our spineless government let foreign trucks use our roads free, whilst our truckers have to pay tolls or buy permits to use the roads over there.
Why should our hauliers have to compete at such a disadvantage? because those running the country haven`t a clue!
July 17, 2015
Does the EU apply fines to France for not ensuring free movement at Calais and other places of entry?
I see we are about to be poked in the eye with a stick again by the EU to the tune of one billion plus due to “subtlies” in an agreement – I hope we are going to play hard ball when discussions start in earnest with them over our terms prior to the in/out referendum.
July 17, 2015
You can still pass the police checks to be a teacher, and work as a supply teacher through your own limited company… without any work visa in your passport…
So the checks on illegal immigration are not that good.
And the schools keep quiet because they need those Australian (and other) supply teachers
July 17, 2015
When I said “First two comments! I was referring to AJ and the PW.
July 17, 2015
Deport the ones you catch back to France.
I suggest Reunion.
July 17, 2015
This is all very well for consumption within the HoC but just how many of these anti-illegal immigration measures are promulgated to the asylum seekers camped out in Calais and further afield?
Stringent measures enforced without exceptions MUST be advertised to all potential immigrants in their home countries. We must deter these people from even thinking that our streets are paved with gold. We must tell them, bluntly, that they are not wanted here. Our disastrously flawed PC and the HRA is seen, internationally, as a huge weakness to be exploited and so they do.
July 17, 2015
John, one of the biggest problems I see is Continental trucks clogging up our roads over the weekend and then heading back home where in a lot of cases they are only allowed to access to their roads Monday to Friday.
Would it not be a good idea to bring in a two tear system for road tax for class 1 and class 2 , so you would pay 75% of the tax for Monday to Friday and you would not be able to legally drive at weekends without the 25% weekend top up, after all our HGV,s pay tolls abroad and I see this getting in some revenue and also possibly unclogging our roads
July 17, 2015
OFFICIALS have been blasted over their “disastrous” handling of the migrant crisis after 18 suspected illegal immigrants were FREED moments after arriving in the UK.
A Home Office spokesman said: “After questioning by officers from the Home Office, 18 of the men were released on immigration bail while their cases are progressed.
Is it April 1st already, this is a joke right, and they expect them to return to hear if they can stay in the UK, they were arrested on suspicion of entering the UK illegally. So they should all have been strap to the back of a flat bed lorry and delivered back to france, come 2020 GE i wonder what scare tactic the tories will try to secure votes they`ve already played the SNP/labour hand, MP`s reaily do take us for MUGS
July 17, 2015
And on this problem of illegal immigration, has anyone taken into account the fact that without “identity card” registration, the UK has almost no clue about who is in this country. And I expect most people here will jump up and down about their democratic right not to have such a card.
Democracy … Let me laugh … when despite the Parliament’s vote, the UK has servicemen involved in various degrees in Syria.
July 17, 2015
Earlier it was reported that HMS Bulwark had been rescuing people from boats who were attempting to enter the EU illegally and has been transporting them to Italian territory with a ‘diplomatic source’ insisting there was ‘no chance’ they would be given asylum in Britain. Why were they not returned to Libya and why has the Roal Navy been instructed to become an accessory to crime by assisting the commission of illegal acts, namely that of attempting to enter a country without a visa?
Meanwhile, near Calais there is an encampment for illegal immigrants being set up, currently containing 4,000 illegals with the aid of Euro500k, boasting running water, street lighting, public toilets and pre-fabricated shelters, being part of a plan to accommodate 10,500 lodgings (not people) throughout France.
So there we have it: the British government uses the Defence budget to dump illegal immigrants on Italy, which grants them temporary residence permits, dumps them on France which ushers them on their journey to England and then the Minister for Immigration claims that the British and French authorities are working closely together to address the “broader situation in Calais”. Meanwhile the desperate and in some cases violent illegals have brought the port almost to a standstill. All, a wonderful example of how the EU works in practice. Let’s get out now.
July 17, 2015
As France wants the border to be at Dover/in England and not in France (Calais) then they could solve that problem by giving us back Calais. Job done for them.
July 17, 2015
Revoking driving licences is hilarious, why not just deport them? Sorry Sir, no seconds for you, you’ll just have to settle for 3 courses and a free bar!
Anyone who is here as an asylum seeker coming from France has broken the law and must be deported. Asylum seekers must seek asylum in the first country they enter. The govt needs to sue the French for not deporting appropriately or assist the French using our absurd foreign aid budget , to deport these people. Incidentally the French already have a far more robust and active deportation system than ours, but struggle with land borders.
Gentleness registers only as weakness with these people. Singapore wiped out mass illegal immigration by immediate deportation of illegal immigrants and ridiculous fines and imprisonment of those who sheltered or employed them. If someone granted asylum here or a non British passport holder is found to be supporting illegals then they should also be deported. By introducing uncompromising rigour and pride to their immigration system Australia has also stemmed the tide. Are Australians beastly breachers of ‘uman rights?
We must get tough.
I should of course add that my main caveat about the thousands of illegal immigrants is all the hot air that they produce avoiding our sophistucatrd detection systems and thus can only add to our heinous man-made climate change.
July 17, 2015
Watching Newsnight, I’m impressed by the way the BBC are demonising Germany rather than pointing the finger at the EU. Very clever.
July 18, 2015
JR – Knowing of the great interest in this topic by many readers, I am today publishing the latest Ministerial update on this …
It’s just a pity that this topic is of absolutely no interest to most Mp’s – they merely EXPRESS enough interest to make a PRETENCE of ‘doing something’ to keep the voters compliant enough to vote for them as the population sails towards the 70 million mark. .
It’s too tricky and dangerous to venture into non politically correct territory these days – they have been cowed into submission by the mob.
A Britain in which 1 in 4 babies are born to foreign parents will become a very different and strange place – why is this being allowed to happen with almost no discussion or consent?.
Governments are elected to reflect our wishes NOT to social engineer a new country with a totally different character.
I wonder if it’s just more grist to their mills – more social problems, taxation, fake Eu battles to be had, more calls for unwanted ‘change’, and excuses to rip up the green-belt and a general slap in the face to the quiet Conservative majority they turned their backs on a long time ago..
Mr Brokenshire is merely patting us on the head and saying don’t worry it’s been taken care of. …like it supposedly has a million times in the past…
July 18, 2015
@Mr Redwood
What myths?
Would that be the myth that immigrants will receive free housing, healthcare, education, cash handouts and “protected characteristic” status on the grounds of their ethnicity?
July 18, 2015
Who will patrol this new ‘secure area’. Has it not occurred to the government that these agile and physically fit young men might not be deterred by a fence and a lacklustre French police who want to offload the problem to us.
July 18, 2015
I ate at an Italian restaurant last evening and commented on this issue.It wasn’t well written as mobile phones do not provide enough space for me to write and wine pushes me to express myself in an exaggerated form of my own style, so I guess this is why it wasn’t published. I find small examples of differing attitudes locally.We have many immigrants and overseas workers.The UK still has attitude problems regards it’s own. I went into a newly opened English restaurant initially and although there were many tables available, I was asked to sit upstairs as I was on my own. Whilst questioning this a newly arrived couple of Asian origin who could not speak English were allowed to sit down at the table where I wished to be. At this stage I walked out and went to my local Italian where the waiters who could speak very little English were welcoming , made me feel special, instead of the single freak I was made to feel at the English restaurant, and made me a table for one .I have as much right as any immigrant, having paid taxes etc for 45 years or more to be accepted as a citizen in my own right .
July 19, 2015
The overhead signs on the M25 yesterday were quite clear that the road to Dover was shut. So I don’t think the government has a grip on the situation at all.
July 19, 2015
It is purely numbers and it is not just illegals.
How about a one liner in a bill to enable us to control migration to a set level or just exit the EU.
We have people from say Goa , applying for Portugese papers and then using those to migrate to the UK. All apparently legal.
No doubt with many other variations. Just web-search a little.
Why not use the overseas aid budget to repatriate the people humanely back to the country of origin or nearby country.
The receiving country receiving £x PER CAPITA deducted from the our EU/Overseas budget to help resettle them after all £15 billion is a huge sum of money and should resolve the problem.
Say 1 million migrants £15,000 each.