WHY WE HAVE TO TAKE BACK CONTROL OF OUR BORDERS

NEVER has the case been stronger than now for Britain to take back control of its borders.

After the terrorist attacks in London and Manchester, both Government and security services are having to reconsider the nature of the threat and how to defend us against such killers.

At the centre of the argument are the EU’s ‘freedom of movement’ laws which means that people can move freely between member states.

Unfortunately, this means that convicted criminals from other EU nations can travel to Britain. As a result of this flawed system, two of the terrorists who killed eight people during Saturday’s attacks in around London Bridge were allowed into the country.

One, Youssef Zaghba, an Italian citizen came to the UK in January. Although we have been told by ‘sources’ in Italy that a prosecutor

said that officials in Italy warned their British counterparts about the risk he posed, British staff say there was no such file.

Regardless, if the Italians are right, why on earth did they not prosecute this dangerous man, rather than merely putting his details on the so-called Schengen Information system? This, according to Brussels is a ‘highly efficient’ system that allows EU countries to be alerted to anyone who is wanted by the police or who has gone missing.

It must be said, thought, that nothing was done to stop Zaghba leaving Italy and coming to kill innocent people in Britain.

In any case, experience sadly tells us that a criminal conviction – even one for murder – is not sufficient grounds for barring the entry of someone to a fellow EU country. Also, most worryingly, intelligence reports that raise concerns about an individual, such as an unexplained trip to Syria or warnings of links to terrorists, would not justify even a temporary ban.

Another impediment to people’s safety is the European Court of Justice.

For even if UK authorities can justify barring the entry of a foreigner, they are hampered the Luxembourg-based court. Controversially, it has ruled that our authorities must inform anyone who has been denied entry of the reasons behind their decision - even if this endangers national security.

It is no surprise that former Interpol chief Ronald Noble once described these EU rules as the equivalent to ‘hanging a sign welcoming terrorists.’ In addition to Zaghba, another of the London Bridge terrorists also arrived in Britain after having exploited EU rules.

Moroccan-born Rachid Redouane had been refused asylum in the UK but then moved to Ireland, where he married a British woman and duly obtained an EU permit which allowed him to be in the UK.

A key factor behind these cross-Europe security lapses is, I believe, the decision of Germany’s Angela Merkel to throw open her country’s borders to refugees from Syria. Some estimates suggest that as a result, as many as 5,000 Islamic extremists may have slipped into the EU. But the main culprit in this sorry saga remains the EU’s cherished ‘freedom of movement’ that takes away the right of countries to exclude those they do not want inside their borders. As long as this exists, we will be at risk – and our police and intelligence services will continue having to monitor an increasing number of foreigners suspected of having criminal or terrorist links. Obviously, this imposes huge strains on their resources – and increases the risk that people such as the London Bridge killers slip into the UK.

After all, in an EU of 28 countries, the system is only as strong as its weakest link. An example of how bad this is is that eight EU members are on Interpol’s top ten list of nations reporting lost or stolen passports – none of them screens passports at their borders properly, leaving would-be terrorists free to enter.

That is why it is right for Theresa May to speak so powerfully of her determination to get the best deal on matters of security for the UK as we leave the EU. She has made it clear that one of her red lines is to take back control of our borders. This alone will give our security forces much greater control of those it wishes to exclude from our shores.

There are lessons to be learnt from other countries’ border security systems which use biometric data such as fingerprints and eye retina scans. As we begin negotiations to leave the EU and in the aftermath of terrorist murders, we will finally have the chance to take back control of our borders.