The Home Office has dismissed as “absurd” claims that it failed to properly communicate new border rules that left some British dual nationals at risk of being denied boarding flights to the UK.
During a heated session in parliament on Wednesday, the Home Office minister Mike Tapp suggested that media coverage in the Guardian and BBC reflected the department’s efforts to publicise the changes.
The Labour backbencher Kerry McCarthy described how two of her constituents feared being stranded on their honeymoon because of the new requirements, which came into force on Wednesday.
Under the changes, British dual nationals must present a valid or expired British passport, or a £589 certificate of entitlement, to prove their right of abode before boarding a plane, ferry or train to the UK.
“They don’t know if they can actually get back into the UK from [their] honeymoon,” McCarthy said.
The Conservative MP Alicia Kearns said the policy was justified but urged Tapp to “commit, however, to improve the communications plan, which has been insufficient”.
Tapp rejected calls for a grace period but said he would host a drop-in session with MPs next Monday to discuss individual cases. He added that consular services were available overseas to help stranded Britons, and dual nationals would obtain a passport within four weeks – and in some cases nine days.
The Liberal Democrats’ immigration spokesperson, Will Forster, accused Tapp of “lack of planning and haphazard communication”, calling the situation unacceptable.
Tapp responded: “I find the framing of this absolutely absurd – it is nonsense. There have been years in planning from the officials and ministers. This has been in the public domain for some years.
“For those looking to travel for emergencies, there are emergency travel documents, and I urge them to explore that through the government website to see if they are eligible.”
The former Conservative cabinet minister David Davis said three of his constituents had only learned about the changes through media reports in the Guardian and the BBC.
“I’m going to let him into a little secret here – perhaps that media coverage is as a result of the Home Office’s efforts to get this information out there as widely as we possibly can,” Tapp replied.
The Guardian’s reporting was prompted by letters from anxious dual nationals abroad. Since publication, hundreds more readers have contacted the paper saying they were unaware of the rule changes until they saw the coverage.
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