During the Liberal Democrat annual conference, a suggestion was made to rename small boats crossing the Channel as “Brexit boats”. This proposal came after leader Sir Ed Davey called for Nigel Farage to apologize to voters for the loss of the right to return migrants to Europe, raising questions about holding Brexit supporters accountable.
A member from the Mole Valley Liberal Democrats group highlighted Ed Davey’s statement about the possibility of returning boat arrivals if the UK were still in the EU. The idea of labeling these boats as “Brexit boats” was suggested as a catchy term to emphasize the impact of Brexit on such situations.
Lord Mike German supported the idea of “Brexit boats” as a reference to the Dublin agreement, which the UK lost access to upon leaving the European Union.
Sir Ed argued that Brexit led to the UK losing the benefits of the Dublin agreement, which allowed for the return of asylum seekers to their initial entry point in Europe. He criticized Nigel Farage and the Conservatives for dismantling these agreements, resulting in the current challenges.
In response, critics, including Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, dismissed the notion, claiming that the Dublin agreement had its flaws. Philp accused the Lib Dem leader of distorting facts and rewriting history.
Data from the Home Office revealed that between 2015 and 2018, the UK made several outgoing requests under the Dublin agreement but only a small percentage were accepted. The figures showed the complexities and limitations of the agreement during that period.
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