UK Politics

[Phylo]

It is thought Al-Saqar had been able to claim asylum in Ireland by taking advantage of a short-lived immigration scheme which allowed Jordanians to travel to the UK after simply buying an online travel authorisation visa for £10.

This allowed him to travel to Northern Ireland and, from there, it was an easy matter to slip across the border to Dublin where, in June 2024, he claimed asylum.

Fact Check - source: Perplexity

The claim is broadly accurate in outline but imprecise on a few details.

What the UK’s ETA scheme for Jordanians was​

• From 22 February 2024, Jordanian nationals (along with several Gulf states) could travel to the UK under the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme.
• The ETA cost £10, was valid for multiple visits over two years, and could be obtained via an online app/website.gov+3
• The scheme was not “short‑lived” in the sense of lasting only weeks: it ran from late February 2024 until 10 September 2024, when the UK announced it was ending ETA eligibility for Jordanians and reinstating a full visa requirement (with a short transition period until 8 October 2024).standard.co+3

So: yes, there was a period in 2024 when Jordanians could enter the UK after buying a £10 online authorisation; it lasted roughly seven months, not just a few weeks.

How this linked to asylum claims in Ireland​

Multiple Irish and UK sources explicitly link the ETA to a sharp rise in Jordanian asylum applications in Ireland in 2024:

• Irish officials stated: “The UK’s new ETA is believed to be the link with the rise in applications of Jordanian nationals in Ireland in 2024.”rte
• By 13 October 2024, there were 2,083 Jordanians claiming asylum in Ireland, up from very low numbers the previous year.rte+1
• The UK government said removing Jordan from the ETA would “support the integrity and effective functioning of the Common Travel Area” (CTA), acknowledging the UK–Ireland migration route via Northern Ireland.rte

The ETA rules themselves noted that an ETA was required for people crossing the land border into Northern Ireland, and that the authorisation covered journeys across the Ireland–Northern Ireland border while it was valid.homeofficemedia.blog

Al‑Saqar’s specific route and asylum claim​

Reporting on Ahmad Al‑Saqar (the suspect in the killing of Jamey Carney in Kerry) consistently says:

• He came to Ireland in 2024, having travelled first to Northern Ireland, then made his way to Dublin.irishtimes+1
• In June 2024, he applied for asylum in Dublin (International Protection Office on Mount Street).headtopics+1
• His asylum application was later refused; he was appealing that refusal at the time of the murder in July 2026.joe+2

Irish officials and media have tied his case to the wider pattern of Jordanians using the UK ETA to reach the island of Ireland and then claim asylum, though most reports do not spell out his exact ETA purchase or landing port.rte+2

What is confirmed vs inferred​

Well supported:

• There was a 2024 window where Jordanians could enter the UK (including via Northern Ireland) with just a £10 online ETA.gov+2
• Al‑Saqar arrived in Ireland in 2024, via Northern Ireland, and claimed asylum in Dublin in June 2024.irishtimes+2
• Irish officials explicitly link the surge in Jordanian asylum claims to the UK ETA scheme.rte

Less explicitly documented in public sources:

• The exact statement that he “took advantage of a short‑lived immigration scheme” is directionally right about the ETA, but the scheme lasted months, not a brief blip.standard.co+2
• Most reports say he travelled to Northern Ireland then on to Dublin, but do not always detail the specific “slip across the border” mechanics; that phrasing is a journalistic summary of the well‑known porous land border in the CTA.irishtimes+1

Bottom line​

• The core factual claim—that Al‑Saqar reached Ireland in 2024 by exploiting the UK’s £10 online ETA for Jordanians, entering via Northern Ireland and then claiming asylum in Dublin in June 2024—is consistent with multiple independent reports and official statements.rte+3
• The only real overstatement is calling the ETA a “short‑lived” scheme; it operated for about seven months before being closed to Jordanians due to misuse concerns.

 

[Phylo]

Farage claims Reform would stop small-boats crisis 'in a fortnight' as he unveils 'Operation Fortress' plan to use the Royal Navy to return Channel migrants to France​

Nigel Farage today repeated his claim that a Reform UK government would stop small boats crossing the Channel 'within a fortnight'.

The Reform leader reiterated the pledge as he unveiled his party's 'Operation Fortress' plan to deploy the Royal Navy to return Channel migrants.

Under the 'return and rescue' proposal, the Royal Navy would intercept every vessel carrying illegal migrants to the UK and return all those on board to their country of departure.

Mr Farage compared the plan to how Australia has previously used military vessels to tow migrant boats back to Indonesia.

'I am entirely confident that under a Reform government, within a fortnight, there would be no more boats,' he told a press conference in Westminster.

Both Mr Farage and Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesman, defended the plans amid questions about the legality of such a scheme and the likely cost to taxpayers.

They Reform leader also insisted there would be 'big upsides' to France, despite suggestions that Paris would simply refuse to accept migrants returned to the country's northern shores.

Mr Farage pointed to how Britain is currently on track to hand France more than £1billion to stop small boat migrants.

'Operation Fortress will be a combined military operation,' Mr Farage said, as he set out his party's plans.

'It will save lives, it will help the French in fulfilling their job of stopping the boats and it will save a huge amount of money.

'We are very confident that our policy of securely picking people up and safely taking them back to France – we are entirely confident that that falls within other conventions of international law.'

Farage says Reform would stop small-boats crisis 'in a fortnight'

The Reform leader used a press conference in Westminster to unveil his party's 'Operation Fortress' plan to deploy the Royal Navy to return Channel migrants.

www.dailymail.com

One may posit: if Israel can with impunity claim to secure its land and coastal border with a ruthless iron fist in international water, with the help of Western aid and approval, one would deem that the UK had an equal right to secure its land and coastal border with a more human iron fist of "no entry without legality - return to sender (France), address unknown." No exceptions !