Johnson U-turns on amber watchlist after Cabinet revolt
Boris Johnson has U-turned on plans to introduce an “amber watchlist” of countries at this week’s travel review after a revolt from Tory Cabinet members and MPs.
The new category in the Government’s travel traffic light system would have created a list of amber countries that were at risk of turning red – a system that travel experts warned would devastate the travel industry and wreak havoc with supply chains.
Under the current rules, travellers coming to the UK from red list countries are required to isolate for 10 days in a government-approved hotel at a cost of £1,750, regardless of their vaccine status.
The plans to extend the “amber watchlist” were met with a Tory revolt led by Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, Liz Truss, the international trade secretary and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, who warned the PM in a leaked letter of the effect on jobs and the holiday and hospitality sectors.
Huw Merriman, the Tory chairman of the Commons transport committee, said the proposal was a “giant red flag” that would “likely” cause bookings to those countries to “collapse”.
He told The Times: “In my view, we don’t need any more uncertainty, complexity, or anxiety for passengers, or this beleaguered sector. It just needs clarity. I would urge the government not to do anything with it.”
Following the backlash, government sources confirmed that Johnson had abandoned plans for the “amber watchlist” and the PM pledged a “simple and user-friendly” traffic-light system for international travel.
Ministers are also expected to drop the “amber plus” quarantine requirement for travellers returning from France at the expected travel review on Thursday, amid claims they “massively overreacted” to the prevalence of the Beta variant in the country at the start of the month.
Asked about the UK’s travel system during a visit to Airbus in Stevenage on Monday afternoon, the PM said: “I understand that people care very much about their holidays, people want to go abroad, I understand how much people plan, prepare, for the summer holidays.”
“But we have also got to remember this is still a dangerous virus and we must try and stop variants coming in, must stop importing variants from abroad, so we have to have a balanced approach.”
Labour said the U-turn revealed the “total chaos” at the heart of the government’s pandemic borders policy and called on ministers to publish the data behind the decision.
Jim McMahon, Shadow transport secretary, said: “Not only have ministers failed to protect our borders, allowing the Delta variant to reach the UK in such force, but time and time again they’ve refused to be straight with the public and industry.”