Reform UK pledges immigration spot checks at Irish border
Reform UK has proposed implementing immigration spot checks on transport crossing the Irish border to prevent illegal entry into the UK. The party plans to fine transport operators £10,000 per passenger found to be entering illegally to fund deportation efforts.
Why it matters
The proposal challenges the status of the Common Travel Area and raises significant political and logistical questions regarding the Irish border.
Reform UK has said it would bring in new immigration spot checks at the Irish land border and fine transport firms £10,000 per passenger found to be entering Northern Ireland illegally.
MP Danny Kruger will tell a DUP conference that the move aims to stop "illegal and unvetted dangerous criminals" using the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland as a backdoor route to the UK.
But he will insist it is "not a border check".
The party is pledging to bring in immigration officers to carry out spot checks of buses and trains crossing between north and south.
The money collected from the £10,000 fines will go towards funding deportations and further border enforcement.
The British Home Office said it already has a "close and collaborative" working relationship with Ireland.
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