No replacement for Dublin III. No access to Eurodac or the other databases. No returns mechanism *at all*.

People-smuggling is go. https://twitter.com/mattholehouse/status/1342036559470747648

This is a quite spectacular loss in terms of UK domestic politics that hasn’t registered at all. This effectively blows up all Priti Patel’s nonsense about stopping people coming to the UK in transit through the EU.

This has decent odds of creating a domestic political crisis.

Not even cross-channel movements; people-smuggling across the Border is a runner. HMG and the HO get no access to the databases like Eurodac (Art. 8 WA, from memory), so have no means to see if there were claims lodged elsewhere.

The HO being the epitome of “Evil chaotic” on an alignment chart of government, will doubtless try to get round it, but, you would be brave to bet there’s not going to be a crunch between this incentive to people smuggling and the requirements of refugee law.

Addendum: the other one on the page is an attempt to portray as a win for the UK, which relies desperately on influx of talent, putting up barriers to people moving there to build its economy.

Like cutting off your legs and proclaiming it a win because you save on shoe-polish.

If the EU negotiating team managed to keep a straight face on agreeing that was a “concession” to the UK, remind me never to play poker with someone who’s gone through the Berlaymont.