‘I’ll be holidaying outside the EU’: Readers lament as new post-Brexit border checks come into force – UK Times

Britons heading to Europe are being warned to pack extra patience – as the EU’s long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) finally launches, threatening four-hour queues, new fingerprint checks and a £400m hit to the UK economy.

Many Independent readers were quick to point out that the UK helped design EES, accusing the government of hypocrisy and reaping what it sowed.

One simply noted that “the system bears the UK’s seal of approval,” since it was backed by British ministers and MEPs before Brexit.

While some readers dismissed the predicted disruption as “no big deal,” others warned it would hit the economy hard – particularly hauliers and holidaymakers – with one remarking that “Brexit is going to be more real this year as the EU takes back control of borders.”

There was sharp division over blame: some targeted “Brexiteers” for the loss of free movement, while others said younger voters must share responsibility for low turnout in 2016.

Here’s what you had to say:

What we really lost

Border control has always existed – no one travels between countries without checks. What Brexit changed is the ease and cost of doing so.

British citizens now face more bureaucracy, fees, and hours-long queues because the UK chose to become a “third country”. We didn’t gain sovereignty – we just lost the automatic rights, protections, and frictionless access that made travel, trade, and work across Europe simpler and cheaper.

Anyone familiar with international trade and border policy could see this outcome coming.

Let’s remember – easier and cheaper travel was probably the least of what we lost leaving the EU.

Before Brexit, Brits had the right to live, work, and retire freely in 27 countries, with automatic healthcare and pension recognition. Work across Europe and every contribution counted towards one pension. Healthcare covered you anywhere in the EU for life.

These weren’t “perks” – they were fundamental rights that gave people freedom, security, and opportunity.

Brexit didn’t just end frictionless travel and trade – it stripped away rights that made everyday life better for millions.

Isab

Brexit gets real

UK residents made over 134 million trips to Europe in 2024, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all outbound travel.

Brexit is going to be more real this year, as the EU takes back control of borders.

For UK goods, the full Brexit costs and delays have been in place since early 2021 when we left the SM/CU. Food inflation in the UK since then has been a cumulative 45 per cent versus 27 per cent in the EU. Enjoy!

wolfie

No big deal

I went through Prague airport just three weeks ago and had to use the new system.

There were no queues and my blue passport scanned OK. My wife’s old EU/UK passport had to go through passport control for her to be finger-scanned.

No big deal.

The EU zone has made strides (at great cost) to shore up its border entry system, while all I’ve seen at UK airports and ports are the same excuses (lack of staff and tech breakdowns) as before Brexit.

Bubba Ho-Tep

The point of passports

This is why we left. Complete waste of money and time – and if it does lead to four-hour delays at airports, then I’ll be holidaying elsewhere than in the EU. Isn’t it the point of passports to confirm people’s identities? Why the need for photos and fingerprints?

ChrisMatthews

You knew about it

The EES has been years in the making. The original decision to go this route dates from when you were still an EU member, which means:

Who cares about £400,000,000 when you can control your own borders (well, you don’t actually, but you could if you wanted – and that is worth much more than having an extra 16,000 nurses working for your health).

Don’t forget to thank Nigel and Boris for your (unused) Suvrinty.

RebootedyetagainHans2

An excellent system – designed by Britain

As Britain took part in designing EES, and fully embraced it while a member, it’s certainly an excellent system bearing the UK’s seal of approval.

MadamDeputySpeaker

Brexit benefits for the Brexiteers

I do wish the Brexiteers could all be identified and they are the ones who are given all the Brexit ‘benefits’ rather than all of us having to shoulder them. What is most unfair is that the Boomers all have triple lock state pensions. They voted overwhelmingly for Brexit and should enjoy the ‘benefits’ just like younger people.

FYI I am a boomer and I would be happy to accept these penalties just to ram home to the less enlightened just what they ‘achieved’.

BlindPew

A shared responsibility

Very sadly, even following the economic shambles post-referendum, I see little sign of the UK rejoining the EU. We are not even at the stage where there is rational debate about the issue. The EU have said informally that they would not entertain a reapplication unless there is a political consensus amongst politicians. There is no prospect of such a consensus. The UK will not be rejoining in the foreseeable future.

I now have an EU passport and so am not affected by this immediate issue, but I feel sorry for those Remainers who are.

Those who are keen to blame older voters for the folly of Brexit need to remember that turnout amongst younger voters was low; hence the latter cannot escape part of the blame. Baby boomers could not have secured a Leave win on their own.

And another point: given that it’s certainly younger voters who are most adversely affected by Brexit, why is it that they have done so little to campaign for rejoining the EU? Why aren’t they active in the European Movement (or they could have set up an organisation of their own)? They have been active in identity politics, but certainly not on this issue.

Brexit was a collective responsibility and younger voters cannot duck that responsibility which they share with their elders.

Musil

Short memories

“It’s utterly unacceptable that the UK could lose nearly half a billion pounds thanks to the government failing to negotiate properly with the EU over the new entry programme.”

The Lib Dems have very short memories. The EU offered simplified border controls – Johnson insisted that we should be treated as a “third country”. The Tories are to blame as well as Farage.

Jook

Double standards

A passport doesn’t say if you are on a terrorist watch list or if you have a conviction for a serious crime – both of which could be a threat to national security.

The double standards of Brexiteers and anti-migrant Farage-ists make Machiavelli look straight as a Roman road – the UK has every right to control its borders but the EU doesn’t?

And if you think it will be any easier elsewhere, I suggest you try the US for your next holiday – fingerprints, iris scans and photos are all part of the deal there.

bleujeune

Not a big deal

Once inside the Schengen area there are no border checks except in special circumstances, mainly to do with security issues.

If I travel to France for example, once I’ve passed through border control I can travel freely to Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy etc without having to pass through border control or show my passport.

There are no internal checks within the Schengen area. This applies to Brits as well as to EU citizens and everyone else.

Being a third country is not as big a deal as many like to make out.

Kingswood

Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.

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