howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
courtesy of the telegraph
The Prime Minister had a one-to-one "update" with Theresa May, after it emerged travellers have been forced to wait for up to 90 minutes for passport checks at the London airport.
Asked whether the Prime Minister has confidence in Mrs May, a Downing Street spokesman said: "The Home Office have made clear they think there is a problem here and they are deploying resources to deal with that."
Downing Street denied that Mrs May was being read "the riot act", saying it was understandable that the Prime Minister would want to be updated about "important issues" in person.
"He is seeing the Home Secretary and wants to be kept up to date with the situation at Heathrow," he said. "Waiting for longer the ninety minutes is too long. We do not set out a target but I think most people would agree queues we've seen in recent days are unacceptable."
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
done a bit of digging around and found out the reason, our campaigning m.p. made a lot of noise about this at one time.
very silent now.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17913781Guest 725- Registered: 7 Oct 2011
- Posts: 1,418
I suspect he wants to make the UKBA the 301 border group.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
in hours philip?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
courtesy of the telegraph
Motorists hoping to cross the Channel are missing their shuttle services are having to wait up to an hour to clear British control posts.
At its worst the queues are backing up onto the French motorway network, which in turn has caused problems with the police in France.
Damian Green, the immigration minister, visited Coquelles earlier this year. But despite being told of the delays, according to Eurotunnel, no action has been taken.
There are 11 Border Force control booths at Coquelles, where motorists complete British immigration formalities, before driving onto the train.
However according to Eurotunnel it is rare for all the booths to be manned.
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
nothing new there howard,same thing happens at the port of callias,there are about 4 booths there.and if your lucky 2 of them are maned.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
All down to cuts......and we still have 90% of deficit cuts to come.More than one is going to be read the `riot act`
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
reg,this was happening 3/4 years ago in calias.cut backs wernt inforce then,cant speak about the tunnel for then.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
nice one howard.

Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Yes that is funny. But it is a terrible situation. Damian Green, the Minister responsible, just does not strike me as having a handle on this at all. He bumbled away in the House the other day more or less saying there was nothing wrong anywhere. Willie Walsh vocal and believable leader of IAG ( British Airways plus) counteracted this all day yesterday in solid style and brought about a move from the Prime Minister himself... basically telling Green to "get a grip" on the problem. Almost instantly 80 new staff were fessed up.
You cant hide this stuff nowadays as Green tried to do...people have mobile phones with cameras and access to internet...and the crowds were huge..waiting in the heat after an exhausting 11 hour flight for a further 2 and a half hours is very bad.Not acceptable at all.
What are they thinking. UK PLC is open for business..isnt it?
All those guys flooding here to take advantage of the cut in the 50% tax rate will expire of exhaustion before ever getting a chance to open all these anticipated new businesses.

howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i saw green interviewed the other day and he managed to last the full minute without blaming the last government.
the cuts in numbers of border agency staff will continue unabated with blame being put on overworked employees.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Courtesy Daily Telegraph.
Theresa May is considering relaxing passport controls in a most embarrassing `U``turn.
Mrs May is considering ``risk based controls`` despite having forced Brodie Clark former head of UK Border Force
out of his job for doing the same thing.
Further embarrassment for Damian Green when true figures were produced on the delays at Heathrow .
Green had told Parliament that on April 30th waiting times had been 90 minutes when waiting times were 240 minutes ( 4 hrs )
What price Ministerial statements to Parliament.?
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i wonder what she means by "risk based controls", sounds like she just wants people waved through rather than employing more staff.
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
Uncontrolled controls are not good ....
---------------------------------------------------
Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
somtimes a better option kath.the ukba know who they are looking for,just need to keep a close eye on things and give them a tug as and when they turn up.
Guest 699- Registered: 3 Jun 2010
- Posts: 292
somewhere the other day i read the working hours for the MP,s , over the next few weeks
i am sure they are only at work for something like 2 weeks out of next 7/8
so no chance of this being sorted , they will on holiday and using the airports !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!