UK Does Away with Northern Ireland Passport Plan

The UK Government has now announced that it will not be following through with its Norther Ireland passport plan. This was set to be a law that would have created a UK ring of security that excluded Northern Ireland. Finance Minister Sammy Wilson says that this law not being passed is a clear victory of common sense.

Phil Woolas, who is the Home Office minister, told the Commons earlier this week that they would no longer be pursuing plans that would require people to show passports on journeys within the historic Common Travel Area. This includes areas in the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. These plans were among the last controversial issues in the Borders, Citizenship and Emigration Bill, which was just clearing its final stages earlier this week.

The government has warned of "traffickers of all kinds" exploiting the open border. They insist that something has to be done to block the breach in defense. This provision would have required people traveling from Northern Ireland to any place in the UK to be treated as if they were coming from a foreign country.

Mr Wilson goes on to say that this bill would have radically changed the UK borders in a very bad way. It would have placed a very tight border around Great Britain and would have left Northern Ireland exposed and isolated to international terrorism. Wilson said from day one that he told the Government that this was an unwise bill and would be ineffective for the UK as a whole. It would also be treating Northern Ireland like second-class citizens of the UK.