Clause 51
Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill [Lords]
12:30 pm
Phil Woolas (Minister of State (the North West), Home Office; Oldham East and Saddleworth, Labour)
The requirement is that British citizens must prove that they are British. That is usually done with a passport, but other documents are accepted, and that is what I propose. The fact that the hon. Gentleman does not notice anything as he moves in and out of the Republic of Ireland shows that my proposals would not cause the practical disruption to the travelling public that other people fear. In the real world, the carriers—the airlines and the sea routes—want to have passports or another form of ID, precisely so that people cannot bulk-buy cheap tickets and flog them down the pub. That is what happens in the real world.