Yvette Cooper MP, Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, responding to the report on Calais by the Home Affairs Select Committee, said:

“This report lays bare the Government’s failure to effectively deal with the crisis in Calais and reveals worrying gaps in our border controls.

"It is now clear that full exit checks won’t be in place before the election - despite the Government promising this as a flagship policy five years ago. Ministers need to come clean now and admit the gaps and problems in their plans. Years of delays and expensive wrangling over contracts because of Theresa May’s decisions have left the taxpayer with a massive bill and a system that still won’t be able to tell whether people have overstayed their visas, check properly on criminal records, fully count people in and out of the country, or work effectively for travellers at our ports.

"The report’s conclusion that ports like Dover are not effectively able to monitor the criminal records of those coming into our country is very worrying. We have warned the government that their failure to properly share information on the criminal records of those coming to start a new life in Britain with other European countries makes a mockery of our immigration system and puts the public at risk.

"Labour has called on the Government to work more closely with the authorities in France and governments right across Europe to tackle illegal immigration. We have also committed to recruiting an additional 1,000 border staff to help enforce fair rules, as well as reintroducing fingerprinting in Calais to more easily identify those who try to enter our country illegally night after night. Finally, unlike this Government we will introduce full exit checks and prioritise establishing a system to properly count people in and out of the country.”