Boris: EU Getting In Way Of Tackling Terror

Boris Johnson says the EU stops the UK from controlling its borders as the Brussels attack sparks debate on freedom of movement. 

Boris Johnson has said that the UK's membership of the EU hampers the country's ability to tackle terrorism.

The London Mayor warned that the European Court of Justice was stopping the UK from having control over its borders and monitoring potential terrorists.

Giving evidence in front of the Treasury Select Committee, Mr Johnson said being in the EU did not mean greater security for Britain.

He said: "We are thinking today particularly about how to combat terrorism and the threat that that poses to our societies," Mr Johnson told the House of Commons Treasury Committee.

"I've seen various people quoted as saying that remaining in the EU is essential for security.

"I think it's important to put a countervailing point which is that there are some ways now that the European Court of Justice is militating against our ability to control our borders in the way we want to and indeed to maintain proper surveillance."

Mr Johnson said that the EU deal was "morphing into political union" and was no longer just about the promotion of free trade.

He said that it was now able to legislate on a raft of human rights issues, that had nothing to do with free trade.

He cited the case of the daughter-in-law of the radical cleric Abu Hamza, who had a criminal record but could not be deported because of a ruling made by the European Court of Justice - and not the European Court of Human Rights.

She had tried to smuggle out a mobile phone sim during a prison visit but it was ruled she should not be returned to Morocco because she had a British son.

His comments come after the Home Secretary warned the UK would be under greater threat from terror plots if voters opted to leave the EU.

Mrs May said Britain's membership of the EU gave intelligence service access to important information and made it easier for British police to catch criminals and extradite suspects.

Staying in the EU also meant the UK had access to the Prum convention for sharing fingerprints and DNA, which will reduce the time it takes to find a match from143 days to 15 minutes.

The party’s defence spokesman Mike Hookem said that "Schengen free movement and lax border controls are a threat to our security".

Nigel Farage came under fire for being "shameful" on Tuesday after retweeting a comment from the newspaper columnist and novelist Allison Pearson which said: "Brussels, de facto capital of the EU, is also the jihadist capital of Europe. And the Remainers dare to say we're safer in the EU!"

On Tuesday evening former Conservative leader Michael Howard joined the debate saying that the passport-free Schengen zone acted as a "welcome sign" for terrorists and made Europe "less safe".

However, the Prime Minister said it was "inappropriate" to advance the argument for the UK leaving the EU by using the terror attacks in Brussels.

He and the 27 other European leaders on Tuesday signed a joint declaration which said the terror attacks "strengthen resolve to defend Europe's values".

Speaking to The Times newspaper just before the bomb attacks in Brussels that killed 34 people, Mrs May said: "I think this is an issue people should look at more broadly, but on the security front there are good reasons for us to be members of the European Union.

"The UK threat level is at severe, which means a terrorist attack is highly likely. We know that since November 2014 seven terrorist plots have been disrupted in the UK. What’s important is that we work with other to ensure that we can respond."

Britain's membership of the EU has become a subject of debate in the wake of the terror attacks after UKIP used them to advance the argument that Europe’s open borders had increased the threat.