Confusion about overseas holidays mounted last night as a health minister said people should not travel abroad this year.
The comments by Lord Bethell of Romford in the House of Lords made the front pages of several newspapers on Wednesday morning (May 19) and prompted “a furious response from senior Tory backbenchers and travel industry chiefs”.
The Telegraph reported that Lord Bethell said: “Travelling is dangerous. That is not news to us or to the people who get on those planes in the first place.
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“We do ask people, particularly as we go into the summer, travelling is not for this year – please stay in this country.”
Lord Bethell’s comments followed those of prime minister Boris Johnson who said on Tuesday that the amber list “is not somewhere to go on holiday” – although earlier that same day environment secretary George Eustice said people could travel to such destinations if they “feel they need” to visit family or friends.
On Monday, health secretary Matt Hancock insisted people should not travel to amber countries for a holiday.
The Foreign Office currently advises against non-essential travel to most countries not on the government’s green list for travel including Spain and Greece, but it no longer advises against travel to some amber destinations including the Canaries, Crete, Rhodes, Corfu, Kos and Zakynthos.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, told the BBC that the government was causing confusion.
“People should not travel to red countries, we know that, but to generalise against perfectly legal travel even to green countries is deeply unhelpful,” he said.
The confusion comes as the European Union is expected on Wednesday to approve the use of ‘vaccine passports’ and place the UK on an expanded green list to allow holiday travel from non-EU countries.
A spokesman for the prime minister reiterated to the BBC that travel to amber list destinations was only allowed for a strictly limited number of reasons and people should not be going to those countries for holidays or leisure.
“The position remains that people should not travel to amber list countries and that is to protect public health,” the spokesman said.
“There are some limited reasons why it might be acceptable to travel – for work purposes, protecting essential services or compassionate reasons such as a funeral or care of a family member – but otherwise people should not be travelling to these countries.”
He said holidays and leisure travel should be restricted to the short green list of destinations such as Portugal.
The Telegraph said: “The apparent disarray prompted a furious response from senior Tory backbenchers and travel industry chiefs, who warned that it would sow confusion and undermine trust in the government.”
Paul Charles, the head of The PC Agency, told the newspaper that Lord Bethell “is totally out of touch” and “not understanding the collapse of livelihoods in the travel and tourism sectors caused by this policy”.
The Times reported that Simon Hart, the Welsh secretary, was among senior Conservatives “to add to the confusion, suggesting that going on holiday to an amber list country could qualify as essential travel”.
He told Times Radio: “Some people might think a holiday is essential. I can think of quite a lot of people who do think that, but it’s about common sense. We’re good at common sense.”
An analysis by The Times showed that at least 151 flights took off from major UK airports to countries on the amber list on Tuesday. They included 95 flights to European countries, with 21 to Spain.
On Sky News this morning (May 19), skills minister Gillian Keegan said the amber list was “guidance from the government”.
She said: “We haven’t legislated to ban people from going on holiday.”
But she cautioned: “We wouldn’t advise going on holiday to the amber list countries.”
The minister added: “That is why it is important when proceeding to go on something like a holiday people stick to the green list.
“We are moving to a situation where the public can take responsibility for their actions.”
Huw Merriman MP, chair of the transport select committee, said “confusion reigns” over international travel.
He tweeted: “Amber destinations were described as ‘moderate risk countries’ and required a series of conditions to travel (such as testing, quarantine at home and passenger locator forms). Now emphasis is being placed on a further condition; don’t go at all.
“What’s the point in bringing in a mechanism, labelling amber countries as ‘moderate risk’ and then, by implication, shading them red by telling passengers they shouldn’t even go?”
Richard Dixon, co-founder of Holidaysplease, said Merriman’s tweets summed up what the travel industry has to deal with, adding: “All we ask for is clarity of policy, appreciation of the challenges faced and support should we not be allowed to send people away.”
Derek Jones, chief executive of Kuoni parent Der Touristik UK, commented on Twitter about Lord Bethell’s comments, saying: “The Global Travel Taskforce set out to *safely* facilitate the reintroduction of international travel. Now, two days after their recommendations are implemented, a senior Health Minister says that ‘all travel abroad is dangerous’. It’s a farce.”
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