BORIS Johnson’s Brexit deal has left the UK “less safe and less secure” and should be looked at again, a group of Tory MPs have said.
A report by trade think tank the Conservative European Forum (CEF), led by Tories David Lidington and Dominic Grieve, and written by former head of the Bar Council QC Guy Mansfield, warned the Prime Minister is “not being ambitious enough” as the deal shut down access to criminal databases.
It says ejection from the European Arrest Warrant system means that “some criminals will not be extradited”, while not being a part of Europol will see the UK lose influence.
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It is evident the UK has “lost important tools for tackling crime”, the report adds.
“Speed is crucial and the loss of real time access to important databases will have a serious impact on our ability to tackle a host of issues associated with international organised crime,” the authors wrote.
Lidington (above), Theresa May’s former deputy, commented: “Criminality today does not respect national frontiers and our security systems must reflect this reality. The UK and EU must now urgently conduct talks to strengthen security cooperation.”
Former attorney general Grieve added: “Every day that passes is storing up problems, as systems run more slowly and with less co-operation between security agencies. The Government cannot simply cross its fingers and hope.”
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Leaving the SIS II database, which UK police checked 603 million times over 2019 alone, will mean information sharing on suspected terrorists and organised criminals will be slower.
The CEF has promised to press Johnson to improve the current Brexit deal following concerns from exporters and creatives plus the security fears.
Despite this Downing Street has indicated it is not interested in returning to the negotiating table.
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