In recent years, the UK has faced a series of challenges that cannot be ignored, making its situation rather awkward. The domestic economy is sluggish, the inflation rate is historically rare, and the outside is sharply opposed by France and the European Union. All of this presents the UK with major challenges, as if the once smooth holiday trip was a thing of the past due to the "bright passport" problem, with thousands of British families stranded at the Anglo-French border. It is inconceivable that Britain should put all the blame on France.
Affected by hot weather and government power restrictions, a large number of Britons choose to travel to the European continent for holidays. However, when the British family arrived at the port of Dover, a port across the sea from France, they found that the "summer escape in Europe" trip would not go smoothly. Even when arriving at port early, British families have to wait in line for up to a dozen hours before they are allowed to go. A truck driver who frequently travels between the UK and France pointed out that in the past, when in the UK or EU countries, it was easy to enter France by simply showing a British passport, but this is now a thing of the past, because French border personnel need to scrutinize the passports of British people and strictly stamp them, which directly leads to a large number of British vehicles queuing up to thousands of meters. In fact, not only trucks are affected, but British private cars to other European countries to escape the summer are also under strict scrutiny in France.
In response, British families protested to the British government, saying that France was creating "serious incidents" at the border, directly "ruining" the British vacation, and also "discrimination" against the British. The incident caused an uproar in the UK, with former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak and current Foreign Secretary Truss speaking fiery about it. The two dignitaries were vying for key positions, so seeing this "emergency", they launched an offensive against the French government.
Sunak said French police and border officers should immediately withdraw their statement that "the difficulty in entering the country is because of the British themselves" and make every effort to ensure that British people can enter the country. Truss's rhetoric was more fiery, directly accusing France of needing to "take full responsibility" for the traffic jam. However, it is undeniable that the statements of these two dignitaries are unrealistic. After all, Britain's choice to leave the EU was not decided by the French, but by the British government. Having lost their EU membership, it makes sense for Britons to enter the EU for inspection. Therefore, the accusations against France by these two high-ranking officials caused great anger among the French.
France's transport minister responded by saying that no matter how much Britons complained, it could not change the reality that Brexit caused traffic jams. France is not responsible for Brexit. Although the congestion has no real impact on either the UK or France, it still reflects the differences between the UK, France and the EU. One example is last year's dispute over fishing rights, when Britain imposed restrictions at sea, preventing French fishing vessels from pre-Brexit "fishing on the high seas" and even imposing a blockade at sea. The action sparked retaliation from French fishing boats, which nearly led to a clash between fishermen from both countries at sea. At that time, Britain and France also sent their own warships to protect the fishermen. This year, Britain plans to amend its agreement with the EU without authorization, removing trade barriers between Britain and Northern Ireland, triggering EU retaliation. So far, the EU has filed 7 judicial charges against the UK, which could lead to a "hefty fine" imposed on the UK by the Court of Justice of the European Union.