The health secretary Sajid Javid has said that the spread of the Omicron variant means the latest travel rules for arrivals could be eased.
He said he is working with the Department for Transport and hopes they can “act quickly”.
He made his comments in the House of Commons on Monday night (December 14), in response to Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who called for the axing of the “very draconian, costly and complex” travel rules.
The fresh testing regulations and additions to the red list were introduced two weeks ago to tackle the spread of Omicron, first identified in southern Africa.
Javid replied: “I think [Bradshaw] makes a very good point, given that we already know that the Omicron variant is fast becoming the dominant variant in our capital city, spreading rapidly throughout the country, the justification for having those rules I think is minimised.
“It’s something that I’ve already raised with my colleagues in the Department for Transport and I do hope that we can act quickly.”
Last week, Javid said tightened travel restrictions could be eased “in the days and weeks ahead” if the Omicron variant becomes dominant.
“If, as is expected, over time it becomes the dominant variant, we can start removing those restrictions very quickly,” he said.
The travel industry has called on ministers to scrap the latest restrictions and again asked for government support.
More: Javid: Omicron dominance would negate need for travel curbs