Dover delays – latest news: French to blame for queues at Port of Dover, suggests Tory MP

ICYMI: Lack of government planning contributed to delays

A lack of planning by the government contributed to the large queues seen at the Port of Dover over the weekend, Labour has suggested.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said ministers should work more closely with France to avoid further delays in the future.

Pressed on how the opposition would act differently on cross-channel traffic, as it has suggested it would not to restore freedom of movement with the EU, Ms Cooper described the situation as “a total nightmare for people trying to travel this weekend”.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We can’t have this every time there is an Easter holiday, every time there is a summer holiday.

“It is particularly the lack of planning around coach parties and that really affects school children as well.”

Pressed for solutions, Ms Cooper added: “I would urge the Home Office, the transport department, to talk with Dover and also with their French counterparts to make sure that we don’t get a re-run of this.”

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 16:00

Coach firms ‘treated unfairly’ during Dover disruption

Coach operators have claimed their vehicles were “treated unfairly” after thousands of passengers were stranded at the Port of Dover for up to 24 hours over the weekend.

Trade association the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) called for “crisis talks” with the government, the Kent port and ferry companies to “resolve this mess once and for all”.

Neil Lancefield reports:

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 15:18

‘Combination of factors’ caused delays - No 10

A “combination of factors” led to delays at the Port of Dover over the weekend, No 10 has said.

Asked whether Brexit was one of the factors, the spokesman said the French were "inspecting and stamping every single passport".

The spokesman added: "We recognise there are new processes in place - that's why authorities were given a long time to prepare for the new checks, including during the transition period, of course.

"And we are in discussion with our French counterparts about how we can further improve the flow of traffic."

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 14:30

‘Something clearly wrong’ at Dover - transport boss

Coach operators have said there is “clearly something wrong” at the Port of Dover following travel chaos at the weekend and have called for talks with the government.

Graham Vidler, chief executive of industry body the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said: “Something’s clearly wrong when a coach, the most efficient way to transport large numbers of people across the Channel, is treated unfairly compared to other vehicles.

“Coaches provide the answer to the environmental and congestion issues we’re trying to address, yet some of our spacious vehicles full of students and holidaymakers were left stranded.

“The procedures to enter the EU should not have a negative impact on people who don’t want to fly or drive by car to continental Europe.

“We’re calling on the government, the Port of Dover and ferry companies to get round the table with the coach sector to resolve this mess once and for all.”

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 13:50

ICYMI: Brexit not to blame for Port of Dover delays, insists Braverman

Home secretary Suella Braverman has rejected suggestions that Brexit could be the cause of delays at the Port of Dover as passengers on the Easter getaway faced long queues.

Extra sailings were run overnight to try and clear the backlog, which has left passengers stuck in traffic for hours, and by Sunday morning the port estimated some travellers would face waits of up to eight hours, depending on the ferry operator.

Helen William reports:

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 12:30

French to blame for queues - senior Tory

Senior Tory MP Tim Loughton has claimed that a lack of staff at the French border control is to blame for delays at Dover – not Brexit, politics correspondent Adam Forrest reports.

“It’s very fashionable to blame everything on Brexit,” he told Times Radio. “So the problem isn’t with the fact that passports are being more rigorously checked.

"I think that’s a good thing. The problem is how many people we’ve got doing it.”

Mr Loughton, former chair of the home affairs select committee, said the lack of French border staff is causing the problems: “It’s because there were not sufficient border force people there from the French equivalent checking those passports.”

He added: “There needs to be more people processing those passports at peak time and it needs to flow better but to just blindly say all this is all due to Brexit. It’s a bit of a lame excuse.”

Simon Calder, The Independent’s travel correspondent, said there was “no suggestion that the French are doing anything other than being diligent.”

Watch both of the exchanges below:

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 11:35

Brexit impact has not been adequately planned for, travel agent says

The government failed to adequately prepare for the impact Brexit would have on passport control at the Port of Dover, a travel agent has said.

"It's distressing to see the whole scenario that's played out at Dover this weekend, and hugely disappointing for those that are trying to get away for the Easter period,” Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, the UK's largest network of independent travel agents, said.

"We always knew it was going to be a busy period for ports and airports, and, whilst mitigation measures were put in place, it is clear that the Brexit impact has not been adequately planned for.

"Since the UK left the EU, the need for passports to be stamped and checked by French authorities - which is done at Dover - has created a bottleneck at the port and is a major contributor to the delays that have been experienced."

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 11:22

‘Of course Brexit has had an impact’ - Starmer

Brexit "has had an impact" on cross-Channel holidaymakers' journeys, Sir Keir Starmer said.

The Labour leader told LBC: "Of course Brexit has had an impact. There are more checks to be done.

"That doesn't mean that I am advocating a reversal of Brexit, I am not. I have always said there is no case now for going back in."

Sir Keir added: "But once we left, it was obvious that what had to happen at the border would change.

"Whichever way you voted that was obvious. Whichever way you voted you are entitled to have a Government that recognises that and plans ahead.

"Yet again we have got to the first big holiday of the year and we have got queues to the great frustration of many families trying to get out to have a well-earned holiday, and I think my message to the Government, their message, would be get a grip."

File photo: Keir Starmer on LBC

(LBC)

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 10:29

Lack of government planning to blame for queues - Labour

A lack of planning by the government contributed to the large queues seen at the Port of Dover over the weekend, Labour has suggested.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said ministers should work more closely with France to avoid further delays in the future.

Pressed on how the opposition would act differently on cross-channel traffic, as it has suggested it would not to restore freedom of movement with the EU, Ms  Cooper described the situation as "a total nightmare for people trying to travel this weekend".

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "We can’t have this every time there is an Easter holiday, every time there is a summer holiday.

"It is particularly the lack of planning around coach parties and that really affects school children as well."

Pressed for solutions, Ms Cooper added: "I would urge the Home Office, the transport department, to talk with Dover and also with their French counterparts to make sure that we don’t get a re-run of this."

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 09:48

Coach passengers finally get in to Port of Dover after huge delays

Coach passengers who have been stuck in queues of up to eight hours in Dover have finally made it in to the port.

Traffic delays began on Friday and passengers hoping to get away for their Easter break on Sunday night will face a few more hours waiting to be processed at border controls and then get on a ferry.

Full report:

Matt Mathers3 April 2023 09:20