From tomorrow the UK will check and record all exits from the country.
Watch out all those that think they can avoid taxes by claiming they don’t live in UK or in France for more than 180 days. Won’t be able to claim that anymore. But it will probably take HMRC decades to catch up!
Am I missing something? What exactly do they think exit checks will accomplish? I can understand that it may help thwart a few young girls and boys going to Syria but is that what this is about?
When this went through parliament quietly early last summer, the editor of one especially Europhobe, and I assume even more against all other 'immigrants', daily newspaper remarked on the fact that it does not include giving a reason why they are leaving. The readers comments were full of absurdities, including such things as going shopping and buying cheap wine of course. I was tempted to write one saying 'to escape' but no doubt the moderator would have censored it.
However, it reminded me of a friend who has lived in Setúbal, Portugal since he finished postgrad studies in England in 1972. He was one of my flatmates for a year, a member of an old 'hereditary' family who turned his back on the UK that summer and has never been back for longer than either parents' funerals. Back then, pre-freedom of movement as now, he was asked the purpose of his visit despite having a UK passport (possibly a mistake, but nonetheless) to which he answered 'To spit on English soil'. He said that he had considered a choice of other four letter words, but those might have been noted and he still had another parent and possibly a couple of siblings to bury. It would be amusing to know what his answers would be now.
I'll email him later today to see what he has to say. I suspect I will not repeat any of what he says here though.
Exit checks have already started at Eurotunnel.
Given the appalling mistakes that HMG has made with its computer systems (so-called) I doubt whether the HMRC computer can actually talk to those of the Border Agency. The whole ingang outgang system at the border is really just a bit of political fluff to calm the minds of the swivel eyed in the Tory party.