Stricter UK passport controls set for crown dependencies

Residents of the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the Republic of Ireland will be subjected to greater passport scrutiny under a new proposal by the British Home Office.

The renewed effort has been met with criticism by officials from both the Channel Islands and Isle of man at the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly which took place in Swansea yesterday ahead of a forecasted push in the next House of Lords meeting which is set for tonight. The revelations were announced by Baroness Angela Harris, a Liberal Democrat MP, and came as a surprise to her colleagues after a similar motion was defeated earlier this year.

The proposal would see travellers from the Crown dependencies and the Republic now required to produce a valid passport to immigration officials on arrival into the UK by sea or air.

The move will not be extended to travellers entering the UK from Northern Ireland’s ports or airports after massive backlash from Ulster Unionists and the Democratic Unionist Party.

Baroness Harris warned that the proposal was set to be passed by effectively by default, prompting outcry from Irish MP’s who said that unless a common set of rules was agreed upon they were at the mercy of the Home Office when it came to making legislation. SDLP Leader Mark Durkan claimed the move was a deliberate effort on the part of the Home Office to control Irish visa rules.

The issue has sparked heated debate with both sides suggesting the other was already deliberately breaching established rules or that such rules were archaic and outdated.

A meeting will be held next month with all parties in the hope of reaching a common understanding.