Julian questions Transport Secretary on foreign travel reopening
April 30, 2021
Yesterday, Julian questioned the Transport Secretary on the need to provide urgent clarification for both holidaymakers and businesses in the wider travel industry on how the Government’s proposed traffic light system for foreign travel is going to work.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Julian said it was essential for the Government to publish detailed reasoning for why countries were placed in particular categories, so that those concerned could assess whether there was a prospect of restrictions being eased. In addition, he stated, there must be a recognition from Government that imposing restrictions on travel to and from certain popular European destinations such as France, Spain and Italy would have a disproportionate impact on the UK travel industry and that this should be fully taken into account when deciding the appropriate level of restrictions.
After questioning the Secretary of State, Julian said:
“Following on from Leeds based airline Jet2 announcing that it was cancelling all flights until the end of June, citing ongoing uncertainty and having been contacted by numerous local firms operating in the travel industry, I thought it important to press the Government for further clarity in its plans for foreign travel.
Whilst I support the Government’s plans for a traffic light system to protect the progress that we have made in controlling the virus in the UK, the system should be there to assist the recovery of the travel sector, not to impede it. In order to give the public the confidence to book, the Government needs to be very clear on why individual countries are put into particular categories and set out the progress that is needed in order for restrictions to be eased.”
