UK Liberal Democrats Propose EU Migration Pact to Combat Small Boat Crossings

The UK Liberal Democrats have proposed that the United Kingdom join a new European Union migration pact aimed at managing asylum seeker arrivals, a move they assert would disrupt criminal gangs facilitating Channel crossings.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey stated that participation in the EU's solidarity mechanism would require the UK to accept a portion of asylum seekers from EU countries. He contended that the numbers would be lower than those currently arriving by small boat and that individuals would undergo screening before entering the UK. The party estimates the cost of participation at approximately £100 million annually, which they claim is a fraction of the £5 billion spent on the current asylum system.

"We have a plan that would finally end the small boats crisis: a pact with every EU country that will allow us to return people who come over the Channel, taking away the major pull factor that [Reform UK leader Nigel] Farage and co created and destroying the business model of the criminal gangs," Davey said.

Some Labour politicians have also suggested that Brexit has contributed to an increase in small boat crossings, a claim dismissed by Reform UK as "complete misinformation." Reform UK maintains that EU membership did not facilitate the return of asylum seekers.

The proposed EU pact replaces previous agreements, such as the Dublin Regulation, which had allowed countries to return asylum seekers to the initial EU country of arrival. Critics had argued that the Dublin Regulation placed an unequal burden on frontline EU states.

The new solidarity mechanism would establish a pool of around 30,000 asylum seekers for redistribution among the 27 EU member states. Participating countries that opt not to accept asylum seekers would instead pay €20,000 (approximately £17,000) per individual not taken.

Under the proposed mechanism, all arrivals must be registered, with identity checks implemented to prevent individuals posing security or public health risks from entering the EU undetected. Individuals aged six and above would have their biometric data, including fingerprints, collected and stored on the Eurodac database. The UK government has previously expressed a desire to regain access to this database, which it lost following Brexit.

However, the UK joining the pact would necessitate unanimous approval from all EU states. The UK government would also be required to pass new legislation and potentially standardize its procedures with the EU bloc.