Our Man in Westminster

About 10 years ago one of the most common sights on the M20 was a group of bewildered looking men walking along the hard shoulder. They were illegal immigrants who had come through Dover in the back of a lorry or van and who had then been dropped as soon as the vehicle got out of Dover.

I can also remember visiting a firm in Ashford where everyone was clearly unusually tense. I asked them why, and they reluctantly told me that they had just had a delivery from Poland and the first thing out of the lorry had been two men. These were not at all bewildered. They knew the drill exactly and asked politely to be taken to the police station to give themselves up, clearly knowing they would just be sent on their way.

No one in Kent (or anywhere else in the country) wants to go back to those chaotic days, so it is very important to us that the current problems in Calais are solved as soon as possible.

The wrong way to do this is to start insulting the French. Whatever politicians in Calais say, the national French government is being hugely helpful in letting British immigration control take place in Calais rather than Dover. If it took place here, everyone caught in the lorries or cars would just claim asylum and we would be back to the bad old days in the asylum system, one of the parts of immigration.

The answer is to improve security at Calais, and also send messages around the world that coming to Britain illegally is not worth it. We also need to help southern European countries improve their borders, as these are the entry points for many. It won’t be quick or easy, but it needs to be done.