Former Chief Immigration Officer Kevin Saunders has hit out at the suggestion that the UK was better off dealing with the migrant crisis as members of the European Union.
It comes amid reports suggesting the UK is preparing to sign a deal with the EU’s border agency to get access to the bloc’s migration intelligence.
According to the Daily Telegraph, officials in London and Brussels has concluded the substance of the agreement, and it is now in its “final stages” with an announcement potentially in the offing this week.
Domestic agencies would be able to monitor the entirety of the EU’s external borders rather than just shared areas, according to the report.
Kevin Saunders has lashed out at suggestions the UK should have remained a part of the EU
GB NEWS / PA
Speaking on GB News, Saunders hit out at the suggestion that the UK could have been in a better place to deal with the crisis as part of the bloc, adding they are “totally divided” on the issue.
“Let’s get away from this ‘before Brexit, everything was wonderful’, it wasn’t”, he said.
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“The returns agreement didn’t work, we took more people from Europe than they took from us.
“The only people that played the game prior to Brexit was Ireland, none of the other Europeans did, it was a total mess.”
The deal comes as Rishi Sunak meets European leaders at a summit in Granada, where Downing Street said he will announce bilateral initiatives with Belgium, Bulgaria and Serbia to increase intelligence-sharing and operational co-operation.
Under the plan, the UK would work with Belgium to try to disrupt organised immigration crime and clandestine entry to Britain and seek to co-operate further with Serbia on prosecuting and disrupting criminal networks.
Glyn Williams, former director general for migration and borders at the Home Office, told the BBC: “The thing about the small boats problem is that I don’t think there’s any sort of magic bullet solution, single solution that’s going to solve it.
“So I don’t think any single measure like this Frontex agreement will be in and of itself game-changing.
“But if you can have an incremental approach of lots of agreements, and especially if you can start to generate political goodwill and dialogue with Europe so that Europe is playing as a team in this struggle, I think that’s going to be for the good.”
The summit will also address support for Ukraine, as well as work among European allies two provide weapons to Kyiv and the need for Black Sea grain shipments.
Sunak is expected to confirm allocations of UK humanitarian aid to held the war-torn country over winter.
Russia has threatened to use sea mines to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
