Dover delays news – live: Unfair to blame port chaos on Brexit, says Suella Braverman

Watch: Not ‘fair’ to blame Dover chaos on Brexit, Suella Braverman says

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 09:21

Frustrated parents criticise Dover port Twitter for not being ‘realistic'

Frustrated parents on Twitter have hit out at the Port of Dover for not being “realistic” with how long delays will last.

Earlier this afternoon, the port tweeted that border processing is currently taking four hours for coaches.

However, several parents left comments which suggest otherwise.

One person said: “Please be realistic about the time it takes to get the coaches to enter the port in addition to this time when you provide updates. My son has been on a coach since 5pm yesterday and has still not left Dover.”

Another parent said: “The coach my boys are on has just got through border controls - that was 11 hours from entering the port. Please can you be a little more realistic & honest with the waiting times (& do something proactive about it next time!)”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 15:50

Dover port chaos due to bad planning by government, Lisa Nandy says

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said “a range of factors” have caused the delays, but she claimed the Government had not planned for what was going to happen post-Brexit.

She told Sophy Ridge On Sunday that ministers had “known for a very long time that they needed to make sure that there were resources in place to deal with additional paperwork checks”.

She added: “The point is not whether we left the European Union or not. The point was that we left with a Government that made big promises and once again didn’t deliver.

“I really feel for the families that are trying to get away for a Easter break, people who have been caught up in this chaos, people whose livelihoods are threatened.

“It didn’t need to be this way.

“If the Government got a grip, got down to brass tacks and started doing their actual job, all these things could be avoided.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 14:53

Update from Port of Dover

The Port of Dover has said border processing times are now at around four hours.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 14:15

Why is there gridlock at Dover again and will it always be like this?

As many as 20,000 coach passengers hoping to sail from the UK’s leading port to Calais and Dunkirk this weekend have endured extremely long waits at Dover – in some cases up to 18 hours – before departing by ferry to France.

The delays coincided with the start of the Easter holidays for many schools, which brought a surge of coaches to the Kent port

The Port of Dover declared a Critical Incident and says it “has been working round the clock with the ferry operators and border agencies to get coach passengers on their way, with extra sailings being put on overnight to help clear the backlog”.

There is no longer any backlog of cars and trucks, but the statement from the port added: “There remain pockets of coaches still waiting to be processed with smaller volumes of coaches expected today.”

Our travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 13:56

Keir Starmer urges government to ‘get a grip’ on delays at Dover

Labour’s Keir Starmer urged the government to “get a grip” on the situation at Dover as coach traffic faced “significant delays” that could last up to 16 hours.

Thousands of travellers were queuing at the port as the Easter getaway begins, after a critical incident was declared overnight on Friday.

Operators P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways reported delays to ferry and coach services, citing bad weather and hold-ups at French border controls as partly responsible.

Later on Saturday morning, a spokesperson said that queues were easing.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 13:25

Why Brexit is to blame for holiday traffic chaos at Dover

Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, explains the reason behind the hours-long queues at Dover this weekend.

When it’s the start of the Easter holidays and you’re a transport hub and you’re trending on Twitter, you know things are not going well.

While all eyes (well, my four at least) were fixed on Heathrow Terminal 5, where a 10-day strike by security staff began on Friday, the traditional great getaway snarl-up this Easter turned out to be at the Port of Dover.

Thousands of coach passengers endured a miserable wait, many of them through the night. Factors as diverse as stormy weather and the French were blamed for preventing travellers from getting away on much-needed holidays.

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 12:47

Braverman is ‘complete denial’, say Lib Dems

The Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said Suella Braverman’s denial of Brexit issues show she “is in complete denial about the impact of the Conservative government’s botched deal with Europe on our borders”.

He added: “For Conservative ministers like Braverman, it is always someone else’s fault. Businesses and travellers are being tied up in reams of red tape but ministers are refusing to lift a finger. It shows the Conservative Party is out of touch, out of excuses and should be out of power.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 11:50

Port of Dover says it has been working ‘round the clock’ to help clear backlog

The Port of Dover has said it has been working ‘round the clock’ to help clear the hours-long queues that have crippled travel to France this weekend.

In a statement, it said: “The Port of Dover has been working round the clock with the ferry operators and border agencies to get coach passengers on their way, with extra sailings being put on overnight to help clear the backlog.

“Over 300 coaches departed the port on Saturday, with all of the freight backlog cleared and tourist cars processed successfully.There remain pockets of coaches still waiting to be processed with smaller volumes of coaches expected today.

“The Port remains deeply frustrated by the continuing situation caused by a mix of lengthy immigration processes at the border and sheer volume of traffic, particularly on behalf of those who have waited for such a long time.

“Minimal freight is expected today and so the focus remains on ensuring all partners work to get the remaining coaches and other tourist traffic on its way as soon as possible.

“We continue to offer our sincere apologies for the prolonged delays.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 11:21

Shadow levelling up secretary says Dover chaos due to government’s lack of planning

Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy said the government had not planned for what was going to happen post-Brexit.

Asked about whether Brexit is a factor in the delays at Dover, she told the Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme on Sky News: “There are clearly a range of factors that have gone into the delays here, and we’ve seen them before, but the government has known for a very long time that they needed to make sure that there were resources in place to deal with additional paperwork checks.

“The point is not whether we left the European Union or not. The point was that we left with a government that made big promises and once again didn’t deliver.

“And I really feel for the families that are trying to get away for a Easter break, people who have been caught up in this chaos, people whose livelihoods are threatened.

“It didn’t need to be this way.

“And if the government got a grip, got down to brass tacks and started doing their actual job, all these things could be avoided.”

Maryam Zakir-Hussain2 April 2023 10:49