Allowing citizens from more countries to use e-gates will affect post-Brexit UK borders

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

British citizens using biometric passports to travel this summer will be confronted by longer queues than before at UK borders, despite promises from Brexiters that leaving the EU will make travel easier for Britons.

A Home Office analysis seen by the Guardian has concluded that changes announced by Philip Hammond on Wednesday, which allow citizens from seven other countries including the US to use e-passports to travel through Britain, will slow down UK citizens’ journey times.

The chancellor said in his spring statement that the government would allow citizens of the US, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea to use e-passport gates.

They currently have to fill in paper landing cards and present them to a border official, while passengers from the UK, EU, EEA and Switzerland are able to use biometric passports.

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Leaked documents show that government officials examined the effect of these changes earlier this year and concluded there would be a small but significant impact on waiting times for UK citizens.

The papers say: “Home Office analysts have examined and modelled the impact of an expanded cohort using the e-passport gates. The result indicated a small impact on e-passport queue length.

“The immigration rules will continue to apply as they do now. This change is being introduced in consultation with various partners across government.”

Lucy Moreton, the general secretary of the ISU union which represents immigration and border staff, said the change would add to the stress of working at the UK’s borders post-Brexit and increase the likelihood of irate passengers.

“The risk is that our members will be at the wrong end of abuse from Brits angry that they are being forced to queue for longer.

“Members are concerned that allowing these additional nationalities into Britain without more formal checks and without actually seeing a border officer could present a risk of breaches of immigration rules,” she said.

E-passport gates use facial recognition technology to compare the passenger’s face to the digital image in their passport. There are 264 such gates at 15 entry points around the UK.

People aged 18 and over who hold a biometric or “chipped” passport are able to use the gates, as are 12 to 17-year-olds accompanied by an adult.

Under May’s Brexit deal, which was voted down on Tuesday, EU citizens and UK nationals would continue to be able to travel freely with a passport or identity card until the end of the transition period in December 2020.

After this, the European commission has offered visa-free travel for UK nationals entering the EU for a short stay, as long as the UK offers the same in return. British citizens will, however, have to pay €7 every three years to travel to EU countries.

A Home Office spokesperson said the e-passport development would help smooth the journey of thousands of visitors to the UK. “The extension of e-passport gates to nationals of a number of countries this summer will give them faster entry into the UK and will result in a better passenger experience at the border.

“Border Force will always ensure it has the necessary resources to fulfil its wide range of duties, including security, facilitating trade, enforcement and protecting the vulnerable,” he said.