Rishi Sunak reportedly wants to strike a post-Brexit deal with the EU on passport checks. The Prime Minister is said to be eyeing up an agreement that would allow Britons to use E-gates when heading to the continent.
The move would remove the need for manual checks, reducing the likelihood of long queues at border controls.
Bloomberg News reported that British diplomats were sounding out EU counterparts on the issue.
Downing Street today said wider use of E-gates for British tourists in Europe would be welcome.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We are working closely with the European Commission and member states to understand the impact of the introduction of the entry/exit system for British citizens.
“And our priority is always to minimise unnecessary delays for British passengers and some countries such as Spain already allow British citizens to use E-gates on arrival in certain circumstances.”
But the spokesman said he did not recognise reports that the PM personally is calling for greater access.
He said: “As far as I’m aware there are no live discussions to that end but of course we will always want to find ways to minimise unnecessary waiting times for British nationals.
“That would be welcome if there were wider use of E-gates for non-EU nationals, it’s in both our interests and the interests of the countries which British nationals visit as tourists, for example.”
Spain has already relaxed its rules to allow UK tourists to use its E-gates.
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It comes as relations between Britain and Brussels have improved since Mr Sunak entered No 10.
The Prime Minister in February struck the Windsor Framework with the EU in a bid to resolve issues over the Northern Ireland Protocol.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addressed Mr Sunak as “dear Rishi” during a joint press conference after signing the deal on post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.
Mrs von der Leyen hailed a “new chapter in our partnership” that will foster a “stronger EU-UK relationship”.
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak said: “The United Kingdom and European Union may have had our differences in the past, but we are allies, trading partners and friends.
“Something that we’ve seen clearly the past year as we joined with others to support Ukraine. This is the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.”
