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Good morning John

This week at Westminster I challenged Border Force and Police Chiefs. I thought my questions were straightforward. Firstly, how can someone board a flight in a Schengen country, land in the Republic of Ireland and then travel into the United Kingdom without anyone ever checking if they have a passport or a visa?

The worrying thing wasn’t that I had to ask, it was that no one was able to give me an answer.

Instead, there was silence.

I also challenged the Home Office's Director of Enforcement about why immigration officers are not boarding buses or trains travelling from Dublin into Northern Ireland to establish whether those entering the UK are here legally.

The answer was staggering. We were told they don't carry out those operations because of risk assessments. The Director then said he didn’t have the legal power and then admitted he had never even asked for it! I am clear that the powers do exist and I will return to this matter next week in Westminster.

The Director also confirmed there have been no joint operations with the PSNI to tackle illegal immigration along that route. I find this strange, as Customs and Excise officials dip for red diesel around the border every day in conjunction with the PSNI.

Then came another remarkable admission. The Director acknowledged he had been made aware of reports that officials at Dublin Airport had directed people towards buses travelling to Belfast. Whether those reports are accurate is something that clearly deserves urgent investigation, yet there was little sense of urgency from those charged with protecting our borders.
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One of the opportunities I had to question officials at this week’s joint Home Affairs and Northern Ireland Affairs Committee meeting

Perhaps this explains why so many people have lost confidence in the UK’s border system.

We're constantly told the Republic of Ireland is our "good neighbour". That's a phrase ministers seem particularly fond of repeating. But being a good neighbour isn't one who contributes to domestic challenges, they ought to alleviate them and help address them.

Worst of all, I was horrified that when I highlighted that Border Force’s focus is at our airports and sea ports, that means they are not concerned about people illegally being in our part of the UK but see their job as just to protect Great Britain. He agreed!

If people are exploiting weaknesses in the Common Travel Area, both governments should be working relentlessly to close those gaps. Instead, Westminster too often appears more interested in avoiding awkward conversations with Dublin than demanding straight answers.

The DUP has been consistent from the outset. We welcome those with a genuine right to seek refuge, but we will never apologise for insisting that our borders are secure, our laws are enforced and our immigration system is fair.

The British public expect that people entering the United Kingdom are properly checked. They expect those with no legal right to be here to be removed. And they expect governments to ask difficult questions rather than pretending there isn't a problem.

This week, I asked those questions.

The answers were nowhere near good enough, but our work continues.

Yours sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Gavin Robinson MP

DUP Leader

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