This episode shows how far European attitudes have shifted since the Merkel ‘Wir schaffen das’ (‘We can manage this’) era of 2015. European leaders seem to have belatedly realised that the punishment from their electorates will be brutal and swift if they don’t get a grip of the illegal migration crisis. European leaders – who for years portrayed robust border enforcement as somehow contrary to European values – now say, in the words of a letter signed by 22 European countries on 1 August: ‘We cannot allow uncontrolled mass crossings… to create the perception that illegal entry into the European Union is possible’. Rather than endlessly talking of burden sharing, Britain could export its expertise, delivering Border Force training and upskilling countries on maritime surveillance. For the lesson of Ceuta is that border control is no longer merely a case of domestic policy; it is an essential ingredient of national credibility.