Calais jungle camp to move to Dover

[Mordac]

Assuming they can find the money for the ticket, who's going to stop them?

Simple - airport-style passport controls at all the stations. No UK or EU passport, no get on train. Fine the operators for every one who gets through.
Only slight problem is the b@st@rd Frenchies might be tempted to give them all French passports just to spite us.

[VectraMan]

Simple - airport-style passport controls at all the stations. No UK or EU passport, no get on train. Fine the operators for every one who gets through.

Erm, that's what we have now. That's what The French want to stop.

[Mordac]

Erm, that's what we have now. That's what The French want to stop.

It's what we have, but that's with the co-operation of the French. What's to stop Eurostar operating their own border controls at their stations, whether the French like it or not?

[VectraMan]

It's what we have, but that's with the co-operation of the French. What's to stop Eurostar operating their own border controls at their stations, whether the French like it or not?

Your plan is to put untrained and unqualified Eurostar or P&O staff in charge of UK immigration?

So much for "take back control".

[Mordac]

Your plan is to put untrained and unqualified Eurostar or P&O staff in charge of UK immigration?

So much for "take back control".

That's not what I was suggesting - they should be operated by UKBA (at least initially), but to be fair, if you take a BA flight from virtually anywhere to the UK, all passport checks are done by local BA staff (or agents), local security and immigration, and finally by departure gate staff, who could be BA staff or local agents. Why not have a similar system in place for Eurostar and the ferries? After all, if the airlines can get it to work pretty well, why not the others?

[darmstadt]

That's not what I was suggesting - they should be operated by UKBA (at least initially), but to be fair, if you take a BA flight from virtually anywhere to the UK, all passport checks are done by local BA staff (or agents), local security and immigration, and finally by departure gate staff, who could be BA staff or local agents. Why not have a similar system in place for Eurostar and the ferries? After all, if the airlines can get it to work pretty well, why not the others?

Eurostar already use their own staff for passport and security checks. UKBA do an extra check which is linked into their database so that undesirables don't get into the UK...HTH

[Pondlife]

Eurostar already use their own staff for passport and security checks. UKBA do an extra check which is linked into their database so that undesirables don't get into the UK...HTH

This is my experience with airports.

Checkin in a Schengen country and the airline rep checks passport is valid for the UK so that they don't get fined if the passenger gets returned.

Arrival in UK and subjected to proper immigration check inc naughty boy list.

Schengen to Schengen no passport check (photo id required)

Non Schengen (UK) to Schengen then UK airline rep checks passport is valid and subjected to full immigration on arrival inc naughty boy list (Which I am almost on so it's a PITA ).

Edit: By almost I mean that someone with the same first initial and surname additionally with the same month and year of birth is on it. I wish they'd hurry up and nab the wrongun.

[SimonMac]

Why do you assume they would be let across the border at all?

Because the border is 3 miles out to sea, once they are waved off the French shore they will be our problem

[VectraMan]

That's not what I was suggesting - they should be operated by UKBA (at least initially), but to be fair, if you take a BA flight from virtually anywhere to the UK, all passport checks are done by local BA staff (or agents), local security and immigration, and finally by departure gate staff, who could be BA staff or local agents. Why not have a similar system in place for Eurostar and the ferries? After all, if the airlines can get it to work pretty well, why not the others?

It's still the same situation we have now. There'll still be thousands of people ending up in jungles because they can't get on the ferry/train, so from the French point of view it makes no difference. And the UK government can't send UKBA staff onto French soil without France's permission, and neither can the UK government force Eurostar or whoever to do anything in France without France's say so.

The only way it's different for the French is if everybody can get on the trains/ferries and it's up to the UK authorities to sort it out in Kent.

[Mordac]

Eurostar already use their own staff for passport and security checks. UKBA do an extra check which is linked into their database so that undesirables don't get into the UK...HTH

So there's your answer Vectraman. It's 10 years since I last travelled on Eurostar, so I couldn't remember who checked what and where.