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LAST UPDATE | 10 Jun
PROPER ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN the UK and Irish government is the only way to work out problems regarding the common travel area, the Taoiseach has said.
Speaking at Dublin Castle today, where the government launched its policy programme for the EU Presidency, Micheal Martin the common travel area is of benefit to both UK and Irish citizens, though he acknowledged some “abuse” the framework.
His comments come after the UK Labour Party’s chairwoman said there is a “live conversation” among ministers to ensure the common travel area between the UK and Republic of Ireland is “not used as a back route for people to come here and exploit our asylum system”.
It has emerged that the suspect in the Belfast knife attack entered Northern Ireland across the Irish border by bus in February 2023 having flown to Dublin from Paris.
The UK Home Office said the Sudanese national claimed asylum upon arrival in Northern Ireland. In September 2023, he was granted leave to remain in the UK until 2028.
Speaking to Sky News, Anna Turley said: “If people are exploiting the common travel agreement in this way, that’s not acceptable. That’s not what it’s there for.
“It’s been in existence for over 100 years and it’s absolutely right that people can travel between Ireland and Northern Ireland freely.
“But it’s really important we make sure that we have a fair system that is led by data and intelligence, and we make sure that people are not able to exploit the asylum system or the common travel agreement.”
She added that “we need to ensure that it’s not used as a back route for people to come here and exploit our asylum system”, and that “those conversations are happening”.
Speaking to The Journal’s political podcast, The Candidate, Tánaiste Simon Harris said it’s “really important that the two governments work closely when it comes to the issue of migration because we share a common travel area”.
“Nobody wants to see a hard border on the island of Ireland, far from it,” said Harris.
“But it does show the broader need to continue to work very closely together.”
Harris remarked that “migration policies in one country can have a knock-on impact on another” and that the common travel area “was never meant to be for migration” and was rather to be “for citizens of both Ireland and the UK”.
Harris added that there is no threat to the common travel area because “the benefits of are immense”.
“It’s really important in a democracy to debate migration policy, that’s a perfectly normal thing to do, but what we saw last night was criminality, and it was despicable.”
Asked about the violence in the north, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee confirmed that she spoke to Benn on Tuesday night.
She said she condemned the vicious attack that took place on Monday night, which she said is now subject of an investigation. McEntee said she also expressed her concern about the violence on the streets of Belfast.
McEntee said it was important for all, not just political representatives, to call for restraint, stating there is no justification for any acts of violence of this kind.
“This is not something that we can accept within any of our communities,” she said.
Regarding comments that have been made about the common travel area, McEntee said it is something that citizens have enjoyed for many years, adding that it has contributed to both countries from an economic and social perspective, and has encouraged prosperity.
'Do we know how many people come into the UK by crossing to Northern Ireland from the Republic to claim asylum?' @SophyRidgeSky
— Ridge & Frost (@RidgeandFrost) June 10, 2026
'Home sec might, I don't have that figure' @annaturley
Anna Turley also says there is 'a live conversation' going on about this route pic.twitter.com/XFzrc4PSJO
The Common Travel Area agreement between both countries was established in 1922 and reaffirmed in 2019.
It allows Irish and British citizens to travel freely between the UK and Ireland and reside in either jurisdiction.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Northern Ireland justice minister Naomi Long said she recognises challenges to being able to move freely across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
She said she had raised the issue with the UK Home Office in the past around human trafficking and also with Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan.
“I recognise that there are challenges when you can travel freely, and what we don’t want on either side of the border is to see the common travel area being exploited for ill purposes. We have been clear about that,” she said.
“The important thing, however, now is not to demonise any particular community, any particular group of people or to put people at risk because there are many people that I’ve spoke to already today who are fearful about whether or not they will be safe when they return home, about whether they are safe when they go on public transport and go about their lives.”
At the same press conference, deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly said she had raised the matter with the UK government, adding that Stormont had been aware of concerns surrounding this “for some considerable time”.
DUP MP Carla Lockhart also called for the British government to review the land border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which allows for the free movement of people under the common travel area.
Speaking on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on Wednesday, Lockhart said: “That’s where this problem lies, and unless the Government step up, I fear we will continue to see significant unrest within our communities.”
Asked why freedom of movement matters when the Sudanese suspect entered the country legally, Lockhart said: “Well, ultimately, this individual came from Paris to Dublin flew then from Dublin to Northern Ireland, you know, that’s unacceptable. He came with no checks. He should have been seeking asylum where he first positioned himself.”
With reporting by Christina Finn
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