Brexit might mean we have to pay to go to Europe

In the latest “bloody EU rules” that prompted people to vote for Brexit to escape them, only to face more of them, the continent is considering imposing US-style visa requirements for Brits heading over. 

Immigration minister Robert Goodwill told Parliament the EU was discussing the possibility of introducing a version of America's Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) which could impact post-Brexit travellers. 

To head over to the US, ESTA requires a payment of $14 (£11) to process you through an automatic system that decides whether you’re eligible for entry without a visa. Once you’ve passed it, you’re free to travel up to 90 days on it for two years, but then you need to go through the process again. At the moment anyway, who knows how Trump will affect entry to the ‘land of the free’.

Goodwill said: "We are at a very early stage of the EU potential scheme and we will see how that develops.

"British people are now used to the US ESTA scheme and, therefore, we view with interest how the European scheme might develop and what similarities, and differences, there may be to the US scheme.

"In principle, this type of scheme is generally there to help enhance security. To get to know as much as possible about the people who are intending to travel.

"It isn't just flights, it could be people using ferries, or other border crossings into the European Union.

"We will not be members of the European Union and it will be impossible, I think, at this early stage to speculate on the effect this might have on British citizens or other third country nationals.

"It is important that as we negotiate with our European Union friends, that we can get the best possible deal, and we need to take account of developments such as this that they may be working on."

Best make the most of that pesky thing called free movement while we’ve got it for, well, free.