Currently, when an EU citizen enters UK from the Heathrow Airport we can just scan our passports on the machine and get through. Usually there would be a nice lady to assist you if you are having trouble with the scanning.
Usually there isn't even other personnel around. I never encountered any checks or questioning.
But then again, the British tend to be very civil and I can't imagine getting a treatment similar to those we keep hearing about US borders.
Try being a non-EU citizen using London as a base for a summer travel, and being required to interact with Border Force wankers on every transit through the country. They're invasively racist at every turn: Here's a credit card and a reservation at a niceish hotel. You aren't convinced that we won't be a burden on your ratty public purse? Alas. How about an onward ticket for tomorrow evening? No? Hmm. Ok, here's a bank statement. Is that enough zeroes for you? Great! Yes, this is our daughter. Yes, she does have a rather lovely tan. I'm originally from Bangladesh and my wife is from the US. No, you really don't need to know what our parents think of our marriage. Oh, I program for a living. Do you want to know more about functional reactive programming? Well...
This literally went on for half an hour, while our infant daughter (who was suffering from the flu) was clearly in distress. When my wife asked for a bit of privacy to nurse her, she was barked at. The interrogation eventually ended, but only after a condescending speech about how lucky we were to be allowed in.
Someone should tell the UK that not everyone dreams of casino-funded memories of Empire.
I was held up when I traveled to the UK years ago when I was on a work sabbatical. I came over on a one way ticket with a plan to visit old friends and travel around. I was not allowed to enter until I managed to produce bank information showing that I had enough funds to cover my trip.
Yes, but that's inside the EU. If you were traveling between States in the US, you would only need your drivers license and there's no going through customs.
UK is different from the rest of the EU, where is pretty much the same as your example of the US. On the Schengen area there is no border controls as the physical borders don't exist and to travel in EU all you need is your national ID card if you don't want to bother with a passport.
I prefer the passport, I think you can't use the ID card on the automated UK border check.
Usually there isn't even other personnel around. I never encountered any checks or questioning.
But then again, the British tend to be very civil and I can't imagine getting a treatment similar to those we keep hearing about US borders.
I hope Brexit doesn't change this too much.