‘EU rules expose UK to terror’
Gove says European justice system means he can’t keep out suspects as Leave camp focuses on immigration
MICHAEL GOVE has claimed that as Justice Secretary he has been forced to allow terror suspects to enter Britain because European Union rules left him powerless to intervene.
Mr Gove said that he had “experienced frustration” at Britain’s “inability to refuse entry to those with a criminal record and even some who are suspected of terrorist links”.
His comments will intensify the debate over Britain’s porous borders as the Home Office faces criticism for lax security along the coastline that is allowing people smugglers to bring in migrants by sea.
David Cameron today prepares to take part in his first debate of the referendum campaign, during which he is likely to face questions about Britain’s control over its borders.
In April, The Daily Telegraph began a Border Security campaign, which has led to senior police and counter-terrorism figures calling for a review of border controls.
Setting out his vision for Britain outside the EU, Mr Gove said that in the days after a Brexit, the Government would pass “emergency measures to curb the baleful influence” of the European Court of Justice.
“As Justice Secretary, I have experienced the frustration at our inability to refuse entry to those with a criminal record and even some who are suspected of terrorist links,” Mr Gove said in a published essay about a Brexit.
The Justice Secretary is likely to come under pressure to substantiate the claim in the coming days as the issue of immigration dominates the increasingly febrile referendum campaign. It came as: It emerged that criminal gangs are using more than a dozen ports on Britain’s coastline to smuggle hundreds of migrants into the UK.
Boris Johnson accused David Cameron and the Remain campaign of holding “manicured, tame, controlled public meetings”.
George Eustice became the first minister to say that Mr Cameron’s future as Prime Minister will be in doubt if Britain remains in the EU because Conservatives may not be able to forgive him for the way he has conducted the referendum.
Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, said that “it would be very negative for British citizens” if the UK was to vote to leave the EU and warned that British expats would lose the right to live and work on the continent.
In Mr Gove’s essay, which is published by Portland, a communications consultancy, he said that Mr Cameron’s campaign is “stoking up Project Fear” and that they would be surprised by the prevailing “calm and stability” and “sense of optimism” in the event of a Brexit vote.
On the campaign trail in Preston, Lancashire, yesterday, where he appeared with Boris Johnson and Priti Patel on the Vote Leave battle bus, Mr Gove criticised Mr Cameron for failings on immigration.
In comments that will anger Downing Street, he said a Brexit vote would “liberate” Mr Cameron and allow him to control the number of foreigners coming to the UK.
Before the election, the Tories had a target of reducing net migration to below 100,000. However, figures last week disclosed that net migration has risen to 330,000, the second highest level on record. “The only way he can fulfil that pledge is by leaving the EU,” said Mr Gove.
“He’s the Prime Minister who sets policy, he will set policy on June 23 but we just want to liberate him to be able to fulfil the manifesto pledge we all stood on.
“It is straightforwardly the case that we cannot control our borders in the
European Union. Last year, 77,000 people came from the EU to Britain without a job offer, so these weren’t people that our economy needed. Of course, if we leave the European Union we can restore control.
“It will be up to a future government and up to the public in future to decide what level we want migration to be.
“Inside the EU there’s no chance of controlling the numbers of people who come here.
“Outside Union we can control it.” Mr Johnson added: “Immigration is really an illustration of the gigantic lack of control that we have over so many areas of policy – taxation, indirect taxation, all the regulations that are coming from the EU now.
“It’s my view that we would at least be able to fulfil promises, and if the Government were to make promises to reduce immigration, say to the tens of thousands or whatever it happened to be, that would be something they would then be able to deliver on.”