Brit border force ‘needs to be bolstered’ to cope with influx of migrants as we get ready to quit EU

BRITAIN’S creaking border force must be reinforced to deal with a big surge in immigrants ahead of Brexit, MPs warn today.

A damning report found mixed messages from the government and a failure to clarity EU citizens’ rights when Britain leaves the EU will spark a fresh stampede of new arrivals.

The powerful Home Affairs Committee calls on ministers to limit the risk by setting a cut off date as soon as possible.

Migrants who arrive after the date would not be allowed to stay in the UK when Brexit happens, putting them off.

Committee chairman Keith Vaz MP said: “Unless the government makes a decision, the prospect of a surge in immigration will increase.

“Multiple voices and opinions from government ministers causes uncertainty, and must stop.

Previous Home Office attempts to tighten immigration rules have often lead to a spike in arrivals, the MPs also found.

Dover MP Charlie Elphicke also last night revealed how he has been told staff have lost control.

Mr Elphicke told The Sun: “Border officers at Dover tell me they can’t count EU citizens in and out. They say it could take a year or more to put systems in place.

“The Government doesn’t seem to have a plan. It urgently needs one. If we’re serious about bringing down levels of immigration, we’ve got to keep order at the border.”

The report also exposes haulage firms for failing to do enough to stop illegal immigrants clambering on board their lorries.

A third of trucks arriving at borders such as Calais had inadequate security standards – adding up to a total of 750,000 lorries a year.

The MPs also blast the Home Office for failing to recover a third of the £6m total in fines levied on sinning truckers.

In 2014/15 3,300 penalty notices of up to £2,000 were slapped on them, but just £4m was paid.

The MPs also insist EU citizens already here must not be used as “bargaining chips” in Brexit negotiations, and the PM Theresa May must guarantee their future status.

And they blasted the prisoner transfer agreement with the rest of the EU as “painfully slow to implement”, with many of the 9,971 foreign offenders languishing in custody still as coming from other European countries.

A Government spokeswoman said: “We have been clear that we want to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that wouldn’t be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.

“We are about to begin these negotiations and it would be wrong to set out further unilateral positions in advance.

“But there is clearly no mandate for accepting the free movement of people as it has existed up until now."