Plans for passport controls between UK & Ireland scrapped
Plans for passport controls between UK & Ireland scrapped
Plans to introduce passport controls within the Common Travel Area have been abandoned. The scheme would have meant passport checks for those travelling within the British Isles.
Under the shelved plans, travellers from
Ireland and the
Channel Islands would have needed to carry a passport when taking
UK holidays and vice versa. According to The Daily Telegraph, the move had been criticised by the travel industry, amid fears of "travel chaos".
However, the home secretary, Alan Johnson, has now said that the government will not fight to restore the passport controls. Peers in the House of Lords had already voted against the measure.
The move has been welcomed by the Chamber of Shipping: "Some three million people travelled between the UK and Ireland by ferry last year," said a spokesman for the organisation. "Passport controls would have caused severe disruption in ports and deterred people from travelling."
The political opposition has also claimed victory: "[The] Conservatives have argued consistently that the Common Travel Area is useful for the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Channel Islands and that the government was wrong in seeking to abolish it," said Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister. "We are delighted that our arguments have won the day."
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