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Brexit could trigger 15-mile queues and make it easier for illegal migrants to enter UK, deputy Calais mayor says

'You can imagine that a lot of migrants will try to get in the trucks,' says Philippe Mignonet

Tom Embury-Dennis

Wednesday 21 February 2018 18:14 GMT

The warning is the starkest yet about the impact of leaving the customs union and having to introduce customs declarations (Getty)

A hard Brexit would make it easier for illegal migrants to enter the UK from France because new customs controls triggering 15-mile traffic jams at Calais, the port city's deputy mayor has claimed.

Philippe Mignonet told BBC Radio 4’s Today that the number of migrants smuggling themselves into Dover on lorries would be “even worse” than now.

Around 56,000 attempts by migrants and refugees to get to Kent from France were thwarted by UK border police in 2016, the last time records were available.

“With the custom controls and custom clearances, we estimate that it could bring about 15 mile queues on the motorway 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Mr Mignonet said. “So you can imagine that a lot of migrants will try to get in the trucks. So yes, it will be even worse.”

His comments came in response to questions about the prospects of Britain leaving the customs union - an arrangement which allows goods to cross borders of European Union (EU) countries without being taxed.

In 2016, the first ever quantitative survey at a refugee camp in Calais found that 82 per cent of its 6,000 residents were aiming to reach Britain.

David Davis tries to dispel post-Brexit chaos fears

Many were hoping to join their family or seek work and were prepared to take risks to the enter the UK despite other being hit by trains or drowning during attempts to get into the country.

A Treasury spokesperson told The Independent: “Our aim is for trade with the EU to be as frictionless as possible and we will ensure that any new arrangements do not undermine safety and security at the border."

But earlier this month Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, warned if Britain does leave the customs union and single market, "barriers to trade in goods and services are unavoidable".

However, Brexit Secretary David Davies subsequently said that Britain wanted a trade deal with the EU that gives it free, unrestricted access to markets but where it was “not required to obey European rules”.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

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1/8The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Post-Brexit immigration

workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Customs union

A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that “Brexit means Brexit” and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UK’s economic outlook become clearer.

Alamy

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Northern Ireland-Irish border

Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Party’s coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a “specific solution” would need to be found.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Transition period

Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs.

EPA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Rights of EU citizens living the UK

The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Future trade agreement (with the EU)

Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union.

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The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Future trade agreements (internationally)

The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period.

EPA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Financial services

Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period.

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Before the UK voted to leave the EU, Mr Mignonet warned France would “have to cancel” agreements that sees Britain allowed to conduct border patrols in the country.

However, Theresa May and French president Emmanuel Macron signed a treaty last month ensuring the agreements remain in force.

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