EXCLUSIVE: The Prime Minister has been urged to end a two-year deadlock with the EU over access to the Eurodac and Schengen Information System (SIS) databases, which were lost when the UK left the EU
Andy Burnham faces pressure to break a two-year deadlock with the EU and finally secure access to key security databases lost after Brexit.
The bloc has held firm over access to the Eurodac migration system – which contains fingerprints and biometrics of people claiming asylum on the continent – and crime database the Schengen Information System (SIS). An expert told The Mirror that this is a “blind spot” for the UK as Eurodac would allow the Home Office to refuse those who had claimed or been refused asylum in any other European country.
Keir Starmer previously voiced optimism that European allies would allow Britain access, but this is yet to happen. Mr Burnham last month told European Council President António Costa that the UK must be “bolder” in building links with the EU – particularly on security and defence.
Before Brexit, the UK was able to tell if a person claiming asylum was in the system of another member state by running fingerprints into the Eurodac system. Since Britain left the EU, the database has been expanded.
Officials are continuing to push for greater data sharing with the bloc, particularly around migration. Last month borders minister Anna Turley said it was important to access more European-held intelligence.
She told The Mirror: “We can’t solve the boats problem without working with the French, we can’t do this without tracking the gangs that are crossing multiple countries’ boundaries. So, we have to work together with our European partners and others.
“So, using that data, using that intelligence, sharing that is critical.”
The Lib Dems have said negotiating access to the database must be an urgent priority – saying without it, UK officials have no idea who is arriving on small boats and whether they have already been refused asylum elsewhere in Europe.
Rejecting those who have been through safe EU countries and been refused the right to settle would remove a pull factor, the party argues. Lib Dem home affairs spokesman Max Wilkinson told The Mirror: “Sharing biometric data with our European neighbours is an obvious step to take as the country seeks to bring safety, control and fairness to our asylum system.
“That’s one of the reasons we’ve argued the UK should join the EU migration pact. Meanwhile, the Tories and Reform want to double down on their failed Brexit and Labour engages in costly dithering.”
Dr Peter Walsh, a senior researcher at the Migration Observatory, told The Mirror: “I get the sense that negotiations are always to some extent ongoing.
“The sense that I get is that civil servants actually think it would be quite a big win to be able to regain access to Eurodac. Because then the UK would know if someone had claimed asylum in an EU country if they have a pending claim or if they’d been refused.
“And that would enable the Home Office to swiftly refuse the claim.” Dr Walsh added: “It’s a big blind spot, there’s no doubt about that. So, what difference would it make to determining claims? I think a real difference. It would help with corroborating identity, nationality, how people arrived in Europe, flagging previous claims, which can be grounds for a faster refusal in the UK.
“So, there are some speed gains. But not removal. That’s always been the separate challenge.”
He pointed out that Norway, Iceland, and Switzerland all have access to Eurodac without being EU members – but said reciprocal agreements would be hard to reach politically in the UK. All are part of a wider migration pact with European neighbours, which the Lib Dems have called on the government to join.
Dr Walsh said: “I think it would be unlikely – it’s difficult to imagine the EU saying, ‘Yes, you can have access to Eurodac, but no, not have all the other responsibilities of taking part in our EU asylum system, the responsibility sharing, spreading asylum seekers around, countries taking their fair share’, that kind of thing.”
Asked about whether access to the database would make a difference, he said: “It has hobbled asylum processing and border management, for sure. So, we don’t know who these people are. And previously, we might have had a decent sense on a great number of them.”
In 2024 Mr Starmer said was an appetite among European leaders to give access to the migration database. He told journalists: “Yes, there is an appetite to work more closely with us on this. Because look, these are shared challenges.
“They also do value what the UK has to offer.” When the UK left the EU, it also lost direct access to the SIS criminal database, which allows European countries to access data about serious criminals and terrorists.
A Home Office spokesman told The Mirror: “National security will always be our top priority.
“Building on commitments agreed at last year’s UK-EU Summit, we are working with the European Commission and EU Member States to identify opportunities to protect the public, secure our borders and tackle shared threats.”