Small boats crossing the Channel were proposed to be labeled as “Brexit boats” during the recent Lib Dem annual conference. This suggestion came after party leader Sir Ed Davey criticized Nigel Farage for not acknowledging the repercussions of losing the ability to return migrants to Europe post-Brexit. The discussion revolved around whether using the term “Brexit boats” would hold accountable the architects of Brexit.
A representative from the Mole Valley Liberal Democrats group highlighted that Sir Ed Davey had previously mentioned that if the UK were still part of the EU, it could have returned migrants on the same boats they arrived in. They proposed adopting the term “Brexit boats” as a catchy soundbite to refer to these vessels.
In response, Lord Mike German supported the idea of labeling these boats as “Brexit boats,” linking it to the Dublin agreement from which the UK was removed upon exiting the European Union. Sir Ed emphasized that leaving the EU resulted in losing access to the Dublin agreement, a system that allowed asylum seekers to be sent back to the first European country they reached.
He further criticized Nigel Farage and the Conservatives, stating that they should take responsibility for dismantling the return agreements that were in place pre-Brexit. This action, according to Sir Ed, contributed to the current migration issues.
However, critics argued against this viewpoint, claiming that the Dublin agreement had its flaws. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp accused the Lib Dem leader of distorting historical facts. Data from the Home Office revealed that between 2015 and 2018, the UK initiated 18,953 outgoing requests to transfer individuals to other EU states, with only 1,395 people being successfully transferred.
During the same period, there were 7,365 incoming requests to transfer people to the UK, out of which 2,365 requests were approved.