Johnson pressed to further ease travel rules to save beleaguered industry

Tens of thousands of jobs in the aviation sector are at risk unless the Government further relaxes rules on international travel, ministers have been warned.

New rules allowing fully vaccinated passengers from the US and amber-list European countries to avoid self-isolation on arrival in the UK came into force at 4am on Monday morning.

But despite the relaxation of quarantine requirements, uncertainty continues around international travel, with Boris Johnson being warned not to create a new category in the traffic light system.

Boris Johnson has been warned not to create a new category in the traffic light system.
Tolga Akmen

The rumoured amber watchlist would apply to countries at risk of being moved into the red category – which requires hotel quarantine for 10 days at a cost of £1,750 for an adult.

Reports have suggested there is a fallout among Cabinet ministers over proposals to introduce an amber watchlist, designed to warn travellers of the possibility that countries with concerning coronavirus data – which could potentially include Italy and Spain – could be put onto the red list at short notice.

Travel expert Paul Charles has said it would be a “disaster” if the Government introduced a new travel traffic light category.

The chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency told ITV’s Good Morning Britain programme: “It would be a disaster to bring in an amber watchlist on top of the amber list, the green list, the red list.”

As well as the green, amber and red categories, there is also “amber plus” – currently only containing France, which means passengers returning from the country’s popular holiday destinations are still required to self-isolate.

Government minister Matt Warman defended the idea of a travel watchlists.

British Airways Inflight Manager Kris Ricci on a plane at Heathrow Airport.
Steve Parsons

Ministers are due to meet on Thursday to review the traffic light system and decide the travel rules that will be in place for most of August.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is pushing for the “amber watchlist” idea to be shelved, while Chancellor Rishi Sunak reportedly told the Prime Minister that the UK’s entry and exit rules are “out of step with our international competitors” and are hurting the economy.

The relaxation of rules on Monday allowed passengers who have been double-jabbed with a vaccine approved by regulators in the US, the EU or Switzerland to avoid 10 days in self-isolation,

They will be required to take a pre-departure test, and a PCR test on or before the second day after they arrive in England.

Labour Party chairwoman Anneliese Dodds warned against creating “additional confusion and chaos” through an amber watchlist.

“The problem is, right now holidaymakers just don’t know who to believe,” she told Times Radio,” adding that we “seem to have the Chancellor briefing against the Prime Minister in the Sunday papers”.

“That’s not building confidence, ultimately, in the system.”