UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDavid Cameron has emphasised the Easter message of “renewal” hours after Keir Starmer talked of “new beginnings” in a seasonal greeting widely seen as having an eye on the next election. Sir Keir, who hopes to win the keys to Downing Street later this year, said it was a time of year when people would think about “our future and how things can change for the better”.But former Tory leader Lord Cameron, now the foreign secretary, highlighted the Easter story of “hope and renewal” as he issued his own message on X, former known as Twitter. The Conservatives have previously tried to prevent Labour owning the narrative of “change” at the general election, knowing voters are weary after 14 years of Tory rule. Mr Sunak portrayed himself as the “change” candidate at his party’s annual conference last year – complete with a dig at his predecessors, including Lord Cameron. However, that idea was swiftly ditched after it failed to improve the party’s dire poll ratings. Instead, the Tories have sought to suggest they are changing the economy, with a plan they have urged the public to stick with, after significant falls in inflation. In contrast to the Labour leader’s message Rishi Sunak said Easter was a time to “pause and reflect”. The Easter messages come just weeks before local elections on 2 May which could give an early indication of Tory and Labour prospects at the general election.Mr Starmer, who is on course to win a landslide at the general election according to a new poll , used his message to say that people would use Easter to think about “our future and how things can change for the better”.As families and friends gather to celebrate the holiday we turn our thoughts towards new beginnings, our future and how things can change for the betterKeir Starmer “The Easter story is one of hope and renewal, of overcoming adversity and light prevailing over darkness,” he said. “As families and friends gather to celebrate the holiday we turn our thoughts towards new beginnings, our future and how things can change for the better.” He added: “Faith is really important. It’s a place where people can invest a lot of themselves and find comfort, hope and a sense of security.“This Easter I’d like to express my gratitude to the Christian community in the UK and beyond, for their generosity and compassion.“At this time of optimism and new beginnings, I thank them for everything they do, and wish you all those celebrating a very happy Easter.”Meanwhile, the prime minister praised the work of Christians in communities across the UK and said people would also be “thinking of those in pain and suffering around the world”.“This weekend, as people come together to celebrate and reflect on the message at the heart of the Easter festival, I want to pay tribute to the incredible work of Christians in this country,” he said. “To the churches, charities, volunteers and fundraisers who live the Christian values of compassion, charity and self-sacrifice, supporting those in need and demonstrating what it means to ‘love thy neighbour’.“Many, I know, will also be thinking of those in pain and suffering around the world, and Christians persecuted because of their faith who are unable to celebrate Easter freely.“For many of us in the UK, Easter is a chance to pause and reflect and an opportunity to spend some precious time with our families and a moment to enjoy the start of spring.“So this weekend, let me wish you all a very happy and peaceful Easter.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMore than 23,000 Labour members have left the party in the past two months amid rows over its position on Gaza and a watering down of green pledges.The opposition still commands a huge lead over the Tories in opinion polls despite the sharp drop in membership numbers, revealed in figures released to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).Labour sources told The Observer that the party’s overall financial position remained strong despite the fall in subscriptions, which make up just one revenue stream for the party.Sir Keir Starmer’s party now gets a large chunk of its income from donors along with financial support from unions.The Labour leader came under heavy criticism for his initial refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following Israel’s raids on the territor which was in response to Hamas’s 7 October terror attack.Anger among Britain’s Muslim community at Labour’s handling of the issue has been the primary driver behind the thousands of members ripping up their pledge cards, party insiders believe.Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, have also come under fire for scaling down the party’s £28bn green investment plan, which was seen by some as a key dividing line between Labour and the Tories.Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves were criticised for scaling back Labour’s green prosperity plan Labour’s top two said the green prosperity plan would be reduced to under £15bn. The party’s membership peaked at 532,000 in 2019 under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn. The report to the NEC last week revealed that Labour’s membership had fallen from 390,000 in January to 366,604 at the latest count.It was unclear exactly when the last count took place.“It is a big fall in just two months,” one senior Labour figure who was at the meeting told The Observer.  “People were surprised, even taken aback.”Luke Akehurst, an NEC member, told the paper Labour membership was still at “historically high levels” despite the drop.“Labour only had 150,000 members at the end of its last period in office [in 2010],” he added.“The state of the opinion polls suggest there is no correlation between membership and electoral popularity.”Momentum, the grassroots leftwing group which supported Mr Corbyn and has become increasingly critical of Sir Keir, accused the party’s high command of taking the party’s base “for granted”.“From a failure to oppose Israel’s brutal war on Gaza to morale-damaging U-turns and the mistreatment of Diane Abbott, Keir Starmer is alienating swathes of Labour’s core support,” it said in a statement.“Members are the lifeblood of Labour – their departure en masse should set alarm bells ringing.” More

Who is Jeffrey Donaldson?Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe leader of the Democratic Unionist Party has resigned after it was revealed he had been charged with historical sex offences.The DUP confirmed on Friday that Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who has led the party since 2021, is stepping down and is the suspect at the centre of a scandal.In a statement released on Friday, the DUP said: “The party chairman has received a letter from Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP confirming that he has been charged with allegations of an historical nature and indicating that he is stepping down as Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.“In accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process.”Police revealed a 61-year-old man had been charged on Friday and a 57-year-old woman was reportedly arrested and charged alongside the politician for aiding and abetting additional offences. A police spokesman told The Independent: “Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland arrested and charged a 61-year-old man for non-recent sexual offences.”Party officers have appointed Gavin Robinson MP as interim leader.Sir Jeffrey, Northern Ireland’s longest-serving MP, was recognised by the Queen in her 2016 Birthday Honours and given a knighthood.Show latest update 1711723517DUP leader accused colleagues of briefing against partyLast summer, Sir Jeffrey accused some colleagues of briefing against the DUP:Jane Dalton29 March 2024 14:451711722247Donaldson ended DUP Stormont boycott weeks agoSir Jeffrey Donaldson made the decision to bring the DUP back to powersharing in Northern Ireland just weeks ago.As leader, he steered the party’s two-year boycott of Northern Ireland’s political institutions in protest over post-Brexit trading arrangements.After protracted negotiations, the DUP agreed to return to Stormont last month, following the agreement of a new deal and a series of assurances around Northern Ireland’s constitutional position within the United Kingdom.Jane Dalton29 March 2024 14:241711720644MP’s website deleted after DUP suspends himLagan Valley MP Sir Jeffrey has been suspended from the DUP pending the outcome of the judicial process.Overnight, his website and social media accounts, including on X, Facebook and Instagram, were deleted. More

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailTwo years on and Priti Patel and Boris Johnson’s Rwanda plan remains stalled in Parliament. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the House of Lords keep clashing over amendments – but Independent readers are largely united in their view that the scheme should be scrapped altogether.The immigration policy, first proposed in April 2022, would see asylum seekers relocated to Rwanda for processing and resettlement.However, legal challenges have so far prevented anyone being sent to the East African country.With so much back-and-forth on the Rwanda scheme, we asked if you felt the plans are the best way to tackle the challenges faced by the UK asylum system.The overwhelming majority of readers were keen to see the plans axed, labelling it “ridiculous”, a “costly totem” and “another Brexit failure”.The comments came as the United Nations Human Rights Committee urged Britain on Thursday to abandon the contentious bill. The committee said it was calling on the British government to withdraw the bill or repeal it if it passed.Here’s what you had to say:‘Ridiculous plan’A ridiculous plan without any legal merit or justification, created by a morally bankrupt Government with the sole intention of further dividing society. Iain Banks called it out 11 years ago in his final interview.“I won’t miss waiting for the next financial disaster because we haven’t dealt with the underlying causes of the last one. Nor will I be disappointed not to experience the results of the proto-fascism that’s rearing its grisly head right now. It’s the utter idiocy, the sheer wrong-headedness of the response that beggars belief. I mean, your society’s broken, so who should we blame? Should we blame the rich, powerful people who caused it? No let’s blame the people with no power and no money and these immigrants who don’t even have the vote, yeah it must be their fault.”Wokebloke‘A fortune spent with no result’A foolish plan thought up by right-wing fools, a fortune spent with no result.The UK has a vast shortage of workers in healthcare and agriculture, add those to the many other skills that are needed because of years of neglect by the government and the huge gaps in apprenticeships that have caused a huge skills shortage.Instead of spending millions on a foolhardy deportation scheme wouldn’t it be better to educate and train people, give people a chance to earn, pay tax, and pay national insurance, all of which the UK needs?Yes, there has to be a limit and a degree of tolerance, but let’s grab some of these people. Wasn’t the USA built on migration?swordfish‘Ship them across by ferry’The best way to deal with small boats is for the government to ship them across by ferry for the same price instead of the traffickers and divert the revenue to processing the claims on board the vessel and provision of temporary accommodation so it does not cost the taxpayer.A £5000 charge would allow for at least a few days in a hotel to process claims and deport if necessary.An efficient processing system needs developing to ensure effective throughput.Freedom‘Foaming hatred’The criminal waste of taxpayers’ money on this ridiculous farce would have paid for the recruitment of additional staff to clear the backlog of applications. However, pinheaded Cruellas were blinded by their foaming hatred.Galileo666‘Another Brexit failure’The Rwanda ‘plan’ has been dead in the water for months. The only reason that this zombie fiasco still lurches on is its usefulness as a sop to the Tory right-wing and to serve as a distraction from the woeful performance of the Home Office in failing to process applications.In one sense it’s another Brexit failure. The need for an enlarged civil service currently failing to cope with an increased burden of bureaucracy is a direct consequence of the loss of administrators in Brussels.Nobody except the most deluded optimists on the fruitloop wing of the Tory Party is in the slightest doubt that there isn’t the remotest likelihood of any aircraft leaving the tarmac.It’s a national scandal that so much public money has been wasted on this ridiculous populist wheeze.PinkoRadical‘A government that cannot afford to lose’Just looking at the whole Rwanda thing from top to tail, what struck me is at every junction, at every pressure point, every node there is a new revelation that just never feels British. Never feels like the type of thing we would do in our recent history. We have transported people in the past, be it prisoners or orphans, but now?We have had to compromise so much to get this policy anyway near completion.To spend so much time, money and effort to get this through the House of Lords and the courts, I wonder if people consider losing our cultural values just to send people thousands of miles to appease racist idiots worth it in the end. Threatening to leave the European Court of Human Rights, breaking international law, trying to sidestep our own courts by spurious legislation, is that who we think we are, or are willing to become to push a policy that does not really fit us?We now have a government that cannot afford to lose face in front of the least desirable people in our country. What a mess.Jim987‘We’re not taking our fair share’Leaving aside the considerable legal and moral considerations weighing in against Rwanda, consider with cold logic the so-called rationale:- We are full: No, we’re not. And we’re not taking our fair share, either.- Infrastructure (housing, schools, NHS etc) strains: Whose fault is that? Certainly not a few thousand refugees. 1.2m authorised immigrants in 2023…. people we NEED and come in via points scheme….. and the Cons are fussing about Channel crossings (2% of that) and potential Rwanda numbers (0.1% of it). WHY?- Housing costs £s billions: Whose fault is that? BACKLOG escalated £s. Who let it build up? NAO data shows a) Rwanda will cost MORE than housing the equivalent number in hotels & b) huge cost associated with converting the Bibby, airfields etc.- Rwanda as deterrent: No evidence for it. How would a scheme that, at best / worst, would impact on less than 10% of total Channel migrants be a deterrent? Crossings are primarily affected by weather, vary hugely by year. 2022 was unusually high (c.45k) but 2023 dropped back by half, due to Channel conditions and efforts in France. If it’s a deterrent, how on earth does that make sense?- Rwanda IS safe: No, it isn’t. Cons can legislate till they’re blue in the face that black is white and up is down but their spokesperson in HoL admitted Rwanda is NOT safe now and won’t be, until conditions in the Treaty we’ve done with them are met. Those conditions have barely even been kicked off yet, let alone completed.All in all, the proposal doesn’t really hold any water, does it? In fact, it might be the perfect vessel for crossing the Channel.Lysistrata2‘Costly totem’The Rwanda scheme is just a costly totem offered up to the electorate as a pretence that the Tories are actually tackling immigration. It will not work and would make little or no difference to the overall numbers if it did but it diverts attention away from more significant factors like the number of foreign students coming to this country and the money that brings in.Mythicalking‘Culture wars’The easiest way to stop the small boats is to open up safe and legal routes to claim asylum in the UK. This would cut off the people smugglers at a stroke and save many lives too. But this government won’t do that, because they need the small boats as a visible tool in their culture wars. The Tories are, in effect, subsidising the people smugglers.June63‘Blurring the lines’STOP THE MADNESS NOW!I have listened carefully to all the parliamentary debates in both houses. The devil is in the detail. The bill says that Rwanda is safe and no-one – not even our highest courts – can say otherwise, whatever happens or will happen there in the future. This is such a dangerous precedent and smacks of a very unpopular government saying ‘we know best’.The scheme gobbles an undefined amount of cash for an undefined number of removals. The government has the audacity to withhold its predictions of these vital figures from the public.All this stacking against the scheme before any consideration of the trampling over of human rights and neglect of our global responsibilities to protect and provide a safe haven for those legitimately fleeing war and persecution – however they arrived.An efficient and speedy assessment and removal system would be much more of a deterrent and save a huge amount of money of hotels and dodgy barges.The government specialises in blurring the lines between ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’ migration. The former being by far the highest figure. They allow the public to scrap with migrants over the scarce public facilities – doctors, dentists, housing etc – all of this government’s own making.I think all conservative MPs blindly following the whip in the commons to prop up a failing government need to take a long hard look at themselves.ToteswokeSome of the comments have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.All you have to do is sign up, submit your question and register your details – then you can then take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe government has caved under pressure from landlord Tory MPs to water down a long-promised plan to ban no-fault evictions.Michael Gove has written to Conservative backbenchers announcing measures to “bolster landlord protections” in the Renters Reform Bill, which was designed to provide more security and better value for tenants.The long-delayed bill was introduced to parliament last May to deliver on a commitment from the 2019 Tory manifesto to abolish Section 21 so-called “no-fault” evictions.But a leaked letter on Thursday revealed Mr Gove had made a series of concessions which he trumpeted as “having the support of main landlord groups”.Campaigners said the leaked letter, obtained by The Sun, showed the long-delayed bill was fast becoming a “landlords’ charter”. Michael Gove was accused of turning the renters’ reform bill into a ‘landlords’ charter’ The Renters’ Reform Coalition (RRC) accused the government of making “major concessions to landlord groups and pro-landlord Conservative MPs”.Delays followed and it was not until 2023 that the Renters Reform Bill made it to the House of Commons.The government’s flagship legislation to help renters is fast becoming a landlords’ charter – watch as landlord groups today declare victory now, having exacted a significant toll on this policy in exchange for their supportTom Darling, Renters’ Reform CoalitionA group representing landlords has urged ministers to “crack on to ensure the bill can proceed with the scrutiny it deserves” and criticised a lack of progress to date as being “destabilising and damaging” for all concerned.Earlier this month, communities minister Jacob Young told parliament when asked about progress of the bill: “We are absolutely committed to the abolition of section 21, I am personally committed to that and we will bring back the bill as soon as we’re able to.”The leaked letter from Mr Young states that the bill will return to the Commons for its report stage when parliament comes back after the Easter break.It notes “concerns from colleagues about the smooth operation of the new tenancy system for both landlords and tenants”.The lack of progress and uncertainty about the future is destabilising and damaging for those living and working in the private-rented sectorBen Beadle, National Residential Landlords AssociationThe government has previously said the abolition of Section 21 would not come in before reforms in the court system to ensure it was also a fair process for landlords.On Section 21, the letter states that an amendment will be brought forward requiring “the Lord Chancellor to publish an assessment on barriers to possession and the readiness of the courts in advance of abolishing section 21 for existing tenancies”.Tom Darling, RRC campaign manager, said the government was “selling renters down the river with concessions that will prevent the vast majority of renters from seeing the end of Section 21 before the next election, as we’d been promised”.He added: “The government’s flagship legislation to help renters is fast becoming a landlords’ charter – watch as landlord groups today declare victory now, having exacted a significant toll on this policy in exchange for their support.Only a watertight bill will curb the unfairness that’s hardwired into England’s rigged renting systemPolly Neate, Shelter“The bill needs to come back to parliament as soon as possible and renters will be hoping to see significant changes to the bill in the House of Lords; otherwise this legislation will hardly be an improvement on the status quo, and in some cases it will make things worse.”Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), said the “rumour, speculation and off-the-record briefings about the future of the bill has caused a huge amount of concern and uncertainty for tenants and responsible landlords”.He added: “The government has a mandate to end section 21 repossessions. Our focus has been on ensuring that the replacement system works, and is fair, to both tenants and responsible landlords. The changes being proposed would achieve this balance.“Ministers now need to crack on to ensure the bill can proceed with the scrutiny it deserves.“The lack of progress and uncertainty about the future is destabilising and damaging for those living and working in the private-rented sector. It is time to bring this to an end.”The Liberal Democrats said the bill has been “left in tatters” and accused Mr Gove of caving in to Tory MPs.Housing spokesman Helen Morgan said: “Michael Gove has caved in to Conservative MPs, meaning his party’s manifesto promise to ban no-fault evictions has been left in tatters.“This watered-down plan means the vast majority of renters still face being evicted from their homes through no fault of their own.“The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to stand up for a fair deal for renters who have been disastrously let down by this Conservative government.”Labour MP Matthew Pennycook said the government had ‘put the interests of party management ahead of what is right for the British people’ Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said it was “cowardly that the government would rather betray renters than stand up to a minority of MPs hell-bent on browbeating them into watering down” the bill.She said “only a watertight bill will curb the unfairness that’s hardwired into England’s rigged renting system”.Labour’s shadow housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, accused Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and housing secretary Michael Gove of having “chosen once again to put the interests of party management ahead of what is right for the British people”.Vowing Labour would “immediately abolish section 21 ‘no-fault’ evictions and deliver the security and rights that renters deserve”, he said: “After years of delay, private renters have every right to be furious at the watering down of the vital protections the Tories promised them.”A government source said: “This is a balanced package of measures that delivers our manifesto commitment to get rid of unfair no-fault evictions and will ensure a fairer private rented sector for both tenants and landlords.“The bill will return to the House of Commons shortly and amendments will be scrutinised, debated and voted upon in the usual way.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated Thursday his determination to work toward a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to realize the return of Japanese people believed abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s.“I remain committed to realizing this for Japan,” he told reporters, while declining to directly address the recent comments from North Korea that suggested such a meeting would be possible only if Japan stops pressing the abductions issue.Speaking at a news conference after the government budget cleared parliament, Kishida stressed he was directly involved in high-level negotiations to fix various bilateral problems, amid growing worries about neighboring North Korea’s missiles and nuclear weapons programs.In 2002, Kim Jong Il, the late father of Kim Jong Un, told then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 80s, and allowed five of them to return to Japan.Japan thinks hundreds more may have been abducted during that period and that some are still alive. Koizumi’s second visit to North Korea in 2004 was the last summit between the two nations.Kishida, prime minister since 2021, also promised to wrest the nation out of decades-long deflation and set off “a positive cycle” of higher wages, company profits and strong productivity.“We have this historic chance to get out of deflation,” Kishida said, noting that the changes will come under his “new capitalism” program, based on economic changes such as a more mobile labor force, investments in artificial intelligence and income growth for the middle class. He promised that legal revisions and an internal investigation were underway to deal with a burgeoning scandal centered around political funding that ruling party lawmakers had allegedly secretly received through shady methods like expensive tickets for fundraising parties. Kishida said more time is needed to sort out details, but the erring politicians will get punished, to restore public trust.Kishida has seen his popularity plummet to record lows in recent months over the scandal. But his ouster, even if it happens, will likely result in another leader from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, because the opposition is weak and splintered.There is even speculation among pundits that Japan will get its first female prime minister, such as Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. As a woman, Koike would be seen as a fresh change, although she is unlikely to stray too far from the status quo.A Japanese prime minister has almost always been a member of the lower house of Parliament, so Koike would need to run for a seat and give up being city governor. The Liberal Democrats have ruled Japan almost incessantly after World War II, except for brief periods of opposition control. ___Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama More

Angela Rayner made a joke about being ginger at Labour’s local elections launch on Thursday (28 March).The Labour deputy leader was introducing Sir Keir Starmer, as she made comparisons between her and the party’s leader.Ms Rayner said: “We grew up in different ends of the country and at different times, but we endured the same insecurities and hardships so many hardworking people face.“I guess the one difference is I had to endure it as a ginger, so I have got one up there.” More

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discountsGet Simon Calder’s Travel emailBritish visitors to the EU are facing stricter passport validity rules post-Brexit –and it could ruin your holiday if you’re caught out.Long gone are the days when you could travel to the EU at any point before your travel document expired; the UK is now a “third country”, with rules to match.EU countries and the wider Schengen Area, which includes Iceland, Norway, and Switzerland, do not accept passports issued more than 10 years ago from such travellers. Before Brexit, the Passport Office issued British passports valid for up to 10 years and nine months, considering the remaining time from the previous passport. While this wasn’t an issue previously, it’s now affecting some British holidaymakers heading to the EU.Recent data from the Home Office suggests up to 32 million Brits could be caught out by the rule change.Many readers are naturally concerned about their travel plans being sullied by an unexpected stop at the check in desk.To avoid this, you simply need to pass two tests. On the day of entry to the Schengen Area, your passport must have been issued in the past 10 years; and on your proposed day of exit it should have at least three months to run before the expiry date printed in the passport.During an “Ask Me Anything” session for The Independent, I tackled a wide range of questions from readers worried about their holiday plans and how they would be impacted.Q: My wife’s passport was issued 19 June 2014 and expires 19 January 2025. We are due to travel to France on the 5 April 2024. Now, her passport is within the 10 year rule but will only have two months left on it if the EU considers the expiry date to be 19th June 2024. Does she need to get a new passport urgently or is the three month rule applied to the actual expiry date of Jan 2025?GibberingOwlerA: Thanks very much for raising a really important point so early. Forgive me while I go on to caps lock. THE EXPIRY DATE OF YOUR PASSPORT IS THE DATE PRINTED BENEATH “DATE OF EXPIRY”. That is the expiry date as recognised by the European Union and everyone else on the planet.To their enduring shame, HM Government, some airlines, some travel firms and some journalists maintained for many months that this was not the case. But it is and always has been.So your wife’s passport is valid for travel out to France or anywhere else in the UK until 18 June 2024 for a stay of up to 90 days, ie until 15 September 2024 (subject to previous visits not eating into the post-Brexit allowance). Bon voyage.Q: My passport was issued in March 2015 and expires September 2025. I am due to travel at the end of April. Can you confirm please that my current passport is ok to use as it will be less than 10 years old when I travel? I just want to check I am understanding the rules correctly. EmmaA: There are just two tests for the European Union:Is it younger than 10 years? In your case, of course. It’s only nine years old.Will it have at least three months remaining on the day you plan to return from the EU? Yes. Enjoy the journey.Q: I am confused because I thought you needed to have a passport to travel to Dublin now as we are out of the EU.LornaWA: The Republic of Ireland is part of the Common Travel Area (CTA) – along with the four nations of the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.There are no routine passport controls in operation for citizens travelling from one part of the CTA area to another. As long as you were born in the UK or Ireland, you are legally able to travel from the UK to Ireland without a passport.If you plan to travel on Ryanair, the airline insists that you have a valid passport (no restrictions on validity, so long as it has not exceeded its expiry date). On arrival at Dublin airport, you will go through passport control.But British Airways says: “If you are a citizen of the UK or Republic of Ireland who was born in that country you do not need a passport to travel between the two countries but you do require some form of photographic identification, such as a driving licence.”Aer Lingus, BA’s sister airline, adds that a bus pass or work ID card with your photo on is quite sufficient. The ferries are similarly relaxed.Q: My understanding was that you must look at the date of issue of your passport and add 10 years. This date should be treated as your expiry date for the purposes of travel to EU. The ‘issued within 10 years and still have three months left after travel return date would then be applied. Is this correct?GrannyAnnieA: Sorry, caps lock again. NO, THE UK GOVERNMENT PRETENDED THAT WAS THE CASE FOR A WHILE until I persuaded them to actually apply the rules that the European Union applies. Your passport expires on the day printed in your passport under “Date of Expiry”.Q: The BBC has confused me with their article. How can a passport issued up until September 2018 be affected now, or do they mean ‘be aware you will be affected in the future’ i.e. next year for ones issued in 2015?SharronA: Sorry for any confusion the BBC has caused. The September 2018 date is relevant because that is when the long-established tradition of allowing extra time was abolished overnight. Passports issued since then cannot fall foul of the rule that the UK asked to be applied to itself.Q: Is the start date issue only valid for the EU? I’m travelling to Asia and my passport will have more than six months left on it when we travel but the passport will be 10 years old on the travel dates.MuttzMuttzA: The European Union is the only part of the world that cares tuppence about the issue date of your passport. So no problem for Asia so long as your passport expiry date meets the requirements for the individual countries.Q: Yet another Brexit bonus, eh? Is this what they meant by ‘taking back control?…haynemanA: I have written as much as I possibly could on the benefits of Brexit for travellers here.After all, we know: “Brexit has given the UK a world of future opportunities”. It must be true because the government says so.The main rail unions, which campaigned enthusiastically for Brexit, must also be celebrating.And then there’s “blue” passports. The government says: “As this document demonstrates – this is a government that possesses the ambition and determination the UK needs to succeed now and for many years to come.”Hurrah! And please don’t point out that as members of the EU we could have made our passports any colour we like.Some of the questions and answers have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.If you have more questions you can sign up to my weekly Ask Me Anything email, exclusively for Independent Premium subscribers.All you need to do to sign up is subscribe to Independent Premium, which you can do here.When you subscribe you will be asked to select the newsletters you would like to receive – make sure you pick Ask Me Anything to receive my weekly email.If you’re already subscribed to Independent Premium and want to check out our full offering of Premium and free newsletters click here. More