Long summer queues at the border risk becoming the “new normal” after Brexit, holidaymakers have been warned, as a fierce diplomatic row erupted with France over long cuts affecting Dover.
Both Conservative leadership candidates were quick to blame a shortage of French border staff for delays that left some travelers waiting for hours. Former foreign minister Rishi Sunak said the French “need to stop blaming Brexit and start getting the staff needed to meet demand”. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she was in contact with her French counterparts, blaming a “lack of resources at the border”.
However, diplomats, French officials and border staff warned that the delays were a result of post-Brexit border arrangements struggling to cope with their first major test since Britain left the EU. It comes after holidaymakers faced long queues for a second day in Dover on Saturday, while there was also congestion on several major motorways as families across the country set off from their summer holidays.
The new rules require all passports to be checked, a pressure that a number of experts said was the biggest factor that could not be easily solved. Clément Beaune, the French transport minister, said yesterday he was co-operating with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to ease the problems, but added: “France is not responsible for Brexit.”
Clément Beaune, the French transport minister, said France was cooperating but “was not responsible for Brexit”. Photograph: Julien Warnand/EPA
It follows frustration among Port of Dover executives that the government rejected a £33m offer to help improve the port to cope with the extra pressures of Brexit. Instead, he was given just £33,000 in December 2020, equivalent to 0.1% of the original request. The port warned at the time that the “clock is ticking”. Roger Gough, leader of Kent County Council, said: “We are still on a bit of a knife’s edge. We have a fragile system in the port of Dover and it doesn’t take much for it to collapse. The pressures are intense and there are concerns that it could continue for some time.”
Lord Ricketts, a former ambassador to France, said the delays were an inevitable result of the bureaucracy created by Brexit.
“The shortage of French border force officers is a short-term tactical problem,” he said. “The serious and long-term problem is that this is the first time we have seen full pressure on the border post-Brexit. Even if it was a full complement of the French border force, there would still be massive delays, because the port of Dover can’t handle the volume.
“The underlying reality is that no matter how much they have, given the size of the port, given the fact that the government didn’t invest in expanding the facilities, it’s going to be like this: this is going to be the new normal.”
He said good relations and cooperation with the French was the best way to ease the problems, but added: “Of course the French will be watching this and will say: ‘Once again, we have become a political football. of the party question of leadership”.
Lucy Moreton, a career officer at the Immigration Services Union, also said it was foreseeable that Brexit would cause further disruption due to the extra controls required, adding: “This is the time it has chosen to bite “.
Pierre-Henri Dumont, an MP from Les Républicains whose constituency includes Calais, told Sky News: “Because of Brexit, we have to have more passport controls. We have to stamp all passports. We have to check who enters the European Union.
“[It is] something we didn’t have to do before Brexit. What we are living is not for that [the] bad face of the French authorities, but because of Brexit”. He said there would be disruption for years if there was not a major “transformation” of the Port of Dover.
Thousands of lorries queue near Dover amid travel chaos – video
There are now warnings that delays could increase further with the planned introduction of biometric checks under the EU’s new entry/exit system. There have already been heated discussions between the Home Office and French authorities over their introduction after warnings they could lead to 17-mile queues.
However, the Observer understands that the introduction of the new system is likely to be delayed again as officials try to ensure that its introduction causes as little disruption as possible. The new system may mean that people will have to leave their vehicles for biometric checks. A Commons transport committee report into the road freight supply chain warned last month: “The introduction of the new EU entry/exit system later in 2022 threatens to cause further confusion, disruption and delay at the UK border, particularly at the port of Dover. It is crucial that the government understands this issue.”
Labor leader Anneliese Dodds said: “While the Tories fight each other, families are stuck waiting hours and hours to start family holidays as chaos continues in Dover and once again the government has failed to control the yes”.
Liz Truss blamed a lack of resources at the border. Photograph: Henry Nicholls/Reuters
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokeswoman Layla Moran said: “We now have a zombie government completely incapable of fixing this mess. The blockade in Dover is not only having a huge impact on families but also on businesses and workers already facing rising prices. Every delay hurts our economy and affects our vital tourism industry. Conservative ministers will rightly be blamed.”
A government spokesman said: “A shortage of French border control staff at the Dover border, which controls entry into France, and an exceptionally high number of people traveling this weekend have meant that roads of Kent are very busy. We are working closely with the French authorities, the Port of Dover, the Kent Resilience Forum and the police to ease disruption and provide support on the ground.
“We advise passengers to check the latest advice from their operators before traveling and, as with any long journey, make sure they have enough water and food with them.”