> The European Union has rejected British appeals for access to critical crime and illegal migration databases as part of a Brexit reset with the bloc.
>In a blow to Downing Street’s attempts to improve security ties with Europe, Brussels has told UK negotiators the EU cannot share information, including the fingerprints of illegal migrants, with British police and immigration officials.
>Sir Keir Starmer had made improved access to data one of his central requests to the EU, saying: “[The] more we can share, the better.”
> Regaining access to the database had been described as a potential “gamechanger” by Home Office officials, who are attempting to clear the record backlog of asylum claims and appeals. It would allow them to swiftly enable Home Office caseworkers to identify where an individual has previously applied for asylum and been rejected. Their case could then be fast-tracked and individuals prepared for removal.
> EU sources have long maintained that it is legally impossible to give the UK access to the databases as the country is no longer a member state or a member of the Schengen travel area, where people can move freely across borders without facing routine checks.
>Starmer has previously spoken about the importance of replicating the functionality of databases such as the SIS even if membership cannot be achieved, pointing to the real-time data and intelligence-sharing on criminal suspects it would give Britain’s law enforcement and security agencies.
HectorTheGod on
Should have thought about that before you left the EU
2 Comments
> The European Union has rejected British appeals for access to critical crime and illegal migration databases as part of a Brexit reset with the bloc.
>In a blow to Downing Street’s attempts to improve security ties with Europe, Brussels has told UK negotiators the EU cannot share information, including the fingerprints of illegal migrants, with British police and immigration officials.
>Sir Keir Starmer had made improved access to data one of his central requests to the EU, saying: “[The] more we can share, the better.”
> Regaining access to the database had been described as a potential “gamechanger” by Home Office officials, who are attempting to clear the record backlog of asylum claims and appeals. It would allow them to swiftly enable Home Office caseworkers to identify where an individual has previously applied for asylum and been rejected. Their case could then be fast-tracked and individuals prepared for removal.
> EU sources have long maintained that it is legally impossible to give the UK access to the databases as the country is no longer a member state or a member of the Schengen travel area, where people can move freely across borders without facing routine checks.
>Starmer has previously spoken about the importance of replicating the functionality of databases such as the SIS even if membership cannot be achieved, pointing to the real-time data and intelligence-sharing on criminal suspects it would give Britain’s law enforcement and security agencies.
Should have thought about that before you left the EU