Govt told it must ‘act now’ on new EU border rules or risk ‘huge’ disruption
Harry KembleThe government risks "huge" queues at Eurostar’s London terminal, St Pancras International station, if it fails to fully prepare for the introduction of new EU border checks later this year.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said if there was to be chaos at the border following the introduction of the EU’s new biometric entry-exit system (EES), it would send a "terrible signal" to tourists and business travellers.
To compound matters, current planning for the EES checks were branded “severely inadequate” by HS1 – the owner and operator of the line and stations between London and the Channel Tunnel – last week.
In evidence presented to the European Scrutiny Select Committee, HS1 outlined how registering a non-EU passenger is expected to take an extra two minutes per passenger before highlighting how not enough kiosks had been allocated at St Pancras.
The EES is scheduled to start in autumn this year after multiple delays.
Khan said: “The success of the Eurostar is a vital part of London’s and the UK’s economic success, with St Pancras a gateway for huge numbers of tourists and businesspeople in the country.
“As it stands these new post-Brexit checks will cause chaos at St Pancras, with cuts to services and potentially huge queues facing passengers at peak times. This is directly a result of Brexit, and it’s not an issue ministers can now wash their hands of.
“With London’s economy roaring back after the pandemic, this sends a terrible signal to both tourists and businesses from around the world.”
Khan urged the government to “offer HS1 and Eurostar all the support it needs to resolve these issues as a matter of urgency”, adding: “Cuts to services and longer delays simply isn’t an option.”
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