Downing Street has conceded “new processes” brought in after Brexit played a role in days of travel queues at Dover over the weekend.
The admission came after Home Secretary Suella Braverman denied the UK’s departure from the European Union was a reason for the chaos, which saw some coach passengers forced to wait at the Kent border for up to 14 hours.
The traffic has since cleared but there are fears the congestion could return during other peak periods, with travel operators calling for “crisis talks” with the government.
On Monday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said there were a “combination of factors” that caused delays over the weekend, including poor weather and a high volume of coach journeys.
Pressed on whether Brexit also played a role, the spokesman noted French officials are now “inspecting and stamping every single passport”.
“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,” he added.
“And we are in discussion with our French counterparts about how we can further improve the flow of traffic.”
He dodged a question specifically on whether Brexit did play a role in the delays.
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The day before, Ms Braverman denied Brexit was the main reason for the queues and told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I don’t think that is fair to say that this is an adverse effect of Brexit.
“I think we have seen we have had many years now since leaving the European Union and there’s been, on the whole, very good cooperation and processes.
“But at acute times, when there’s a lot of pressure crossing the Channel whether the tunnel or the ferries, then I think there’s always going to be a backup.”
But Conservative MP and former minister Sir Robert Buckland said “there’s no doubt” that increased checks as a result of Brexit were part of the problem.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also said that “of course Brexit has had an impact” as he urged the government to “get a grip” of the situation.
Delays to accessing ferries from the Port of Dover were first announced Friday night, when a critical incident was declared.
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One woman told Sky News she had been waiting on a bus for “12 hours already”, while concerned parents reported on Twitter that their children had been stranded for longer than that, delaying the start of their school trips.
The port said all coach traffic had been processed through immigration controls by Monday morning and the critical incident “has been stood down”.
Coaches ‘treated unfairly’
But the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) called for “crisis talks” with the government, Dover officials and ferry companies to “resolve this mess once and for all”.
The CPT claimed coaches were “held back behind cars and HGVs”, meaning their passengers were “delayed between eight and 24 hours”.
It fears the situation “will only get worse” when the start of the summer holiday period arrives.
Chief executive Graham Vidler 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…
“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.”
