Travel Boss Calls On Boris Johnson To Abolish Traffic Signal System And Save Summer Vacation

Authors: James Robinson, Chief Political Correspondent, Daily Mail, and Martin Robinson, Chief Political Correspondent, Harriet Line, Chief Correspondent

Published: August 2, 2021, 19:31 EST | Updated: August 3, 2021, 12:11 EST

The Prime Minister cancelled last night a nasty proposal for a new part of the Amber List, which will highlight the risk that holiday destinations may be included in Britain's terrible red list.

These proposals have caused an uproar among travel executives and Conservative Party MPs, who fear that if popular holiday destinations such as Spain, Greece and Italy finally appear on the new watch list, millions of Britons will be plunged into chaos.

It is said that cabinet figures including the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak and the Minister of Transport Grant Shapps have also opposed the plan, while critics have repeatedly asked to see evidence about how the country is classified. .

Health Minister Sajid Javid is considered one of the few people who support these proposals. He believes that the plan will give vacationers a fair warning that they may face expensive quarantined hotel accommodations after returning to the UK.

But with the cancellation of the plan, the travel directors launched an unexpected counterattack, demanding that the 10th now completely abandon the travel traffic signal system. The Labor Party stated that this chaotic thinking shows that the Conservative Party is "completely confused" with its pandemic border policy.

The owners of more than 300 travel companies wrote to the prime minister, urging him to reduce the plan to a red list-which includes countries with the highest Covid incidence or worrying mutation outbreaks.

At the same time, experts predict that after the cancellation of the Amber Watch List plan, holiday sales will soar today, which makes British holidaymakers more confident that they can still travel this summer.

But what can be revealed is that a new computer system at the British border "repeatedly crashed", causing long queues at Heathrow Airport. According to sources, the latest breakdown on Sunday means that all passengers have been rejected by the electronic gates in the arrival hall of Heathrow Airport and must be manually checked by immigration officials. This makes the queue extend more than a quarter of a mile.

The dramatic policy turn last night was:

With strong opposition from the Conservative Party members, Boris Johnson substantially abandoned the new "Amber Watch List" plan, and today faces a call for the complete dismantling of the government travel traffic signal system. Pictured: After the United States and the European Union have fully lifted their quarantine, people embracing when they arrive at Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 from the United States

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Spain and Italy are considered to be among the countries on the watch list-industry experts have warned that this could disrupt the holiday plans of millions of Britons. Pictured: Today, a mother and her son check the departure time at Heathrow Airport

The Prime Minister (when visiting Stevenage yesterday) last night cancelled a proposal to strongly object to a new part of the Amber List, which will highlight the risk of holiday destinations being included in Britain’s terrible red list

It is thought that Spain will be added to the new "amber watch list", and countries such as Italy and Greece may follow suit.

What can be revealed is that a new computer system at the British border "repeatedly crashed", causing long queues at Heathrow Airport.

The Ministry of the Interior's £372 million security database-known as "Border Crossing"-was hurriedly put into use at the end of June and was over three years later.

According to sources, the latest breakdown on Sunday means that all passengers have been rejected by the electronic gates in the arrival hall of Heathrow Airport and must be manually checked by immigration officials. This makes the queue extend more than a quarter of a mile.

Insiders predicted last night that later this week, when the number of Britons returning from holidays reaches a level not seen since the pandemic began, there will be “total chaos” at the main airport.

A few months ago, members of Congress criticized the handling of the project and warned that the Ministry of Interior "has no evidence" to deal with more passengers.

This Friday is two weeks after most schools are disbanded, which means that a large number of families will return in two weeks.

'The peak has not yet begun. A source said that by the end of this week it will be a mess.

"Border Crossing has been collapsing all the time, and when it collapses, it will be destroyed for several days. It is especially vulnerable to attacks when there are a large number of passengers.

"When a large number of passengers who left immediately after the school disbanded and started to return to the UK in the next few days, I did not see any situation where there would be no chaos."

The Border Crossing system checks the names of travelers based on terrorism records, police state computers, and immigration records. Members of the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons issued a report on the system in March, stating that the Ministry of the Interior “has no evidence that it can deal with the passenger traffic that existed before Covid-19”.

The lawmakers also criticized the "staggering" cost of the government's IT program and blamed the "lack of effective leadership, management, and supervision."

Their report said: “Due to the small number of passengers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the border crossing has not yet undergone operational tests of the expected scale based on the expected number of passengers outside the unique circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.'

In a letter to the Prime Minister, major airlines and travel agencies stated that simplifying the rules will help the UK's tourism industry recover while protecting the country’s health needs.

They called on the United Kingdom to adopt an American-style system under which fully vaccinated citizens can travel to any country that allows them to enter.

If they conduct a pre-departure test when they return, the double-strike American vacationers do not need to be quarantined when they return home.

The Save Our Summer team responsible for coordinating the letter to the Prime Minister acknowledged that there will continue to be "some red countries" in British tourists.

But the signatory said that any other place can be used by people who are completely stinging, and the "easy-to-understand" policy will build confidence among consumers.

The organization also called on people who require full vaccination to stop PCR testing the day after returning from green or amber countries.

The letter seen by the Daily Mail was signed by more than 300 travel agencies last night.

It stated: "We urge ministers to simplify travel urgently so that at least the key travel month of August can be saved.

'According to the route of the American system, the traffic light system should be abandoned or made easier.

"There will still be some red countries out of bounds, but most destinations can be completely pierced.

"This easy-to-understand policy will help the UK tourism industry recover, quickly build confidence among consumers, and protect our country's health needs through pre-departure testing."

"We call on the Prime Minister to act quickly to save tens of thousands of jobs and provide clear information to consumers who wish to visit their loved ones."

Signatories include small and large travel companies such as Trailfinders, United Airlines, Finnair, Kirker Holidays and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Last night Conservative MP Henry Smith, whose Crowley electorate includes Gatwick, welcomed the proposal.

He told the Daily Mail: "I am in favor of anything that is simplified and easier to understand.

"The traffic light system could have provided this, but there were various warnings shortly after the announcement."

Diana Holland, Assistant Secretary-General for Civil Air Transport of the Unite Union, also urged the government to take further action to support employment.

She said: "The traffic light system does not work, and there are disagreements within the government on how to proceed.

"Although the situation is still uncertain and complicated, the government must provide support to our aviation and tourism industries to save jobs."

She said that France and Germany have already provided support for specific sectors of the aviation industry, but "the UK civil air transport sector has lost a lot of jobs."

The Save Our Summer team also called on people who require full vaccination to stop PCR testing the day after returning from a green or amber country (Picture: Beaches in Tarragona, Spain last month)

One sign that the death toll may begin to stabilize or even decline next week is that the number of Covid hospitalizations in England has fallen by nearly 20%. On July 31, approximately 593 infected patients were admitted to the hospital for treatment, which is the most recent data available to the NHS. By comparison, 734 patients were hospitalized last Saturday

Fiona Charrington, CEO of Martin Randall Travel, said: “Some hoteliers are losing patience. If a German company or a British company wants to book, they will of course choose a company that is unlikely to make changes at the last minute. ( Picture: Tourists enjoy the hot temperatures in Greece)

At present, the government's international travel traffic lights are mainly divided into three categories: red, amber, and green.

But there is also an "Amber Plus" list, and ministers are considering introducing an "Amber Watch List", although Boris Johnson hinted this afternoon that the latter may be discarded.

The following is a breakdown of the rules for each category:

Red: Non-British nationals are prohibited from travelling to the UK from the red list countries. Returning Britons must undergo a pre-departure test and book a 10-day hotel isolation period at a cost of £1,750.

Amber: Pre-departure testing is required. People who have not been vaccinated must be quarantined at home for 10 days and make appointments for testing on the second and eighth days. People who are fully vaccinated do not need to be quarantined, but must make an appointment for testing the next day.

Amber Plus: currently only includes new categories in France. This means that everyone returning from the country, including those who have been fully vaccinated, must be quarantined at home for 10 days and be tested on the second and eighth days.

Amber Watch List: Ministers are considering introducing this category to highlight countries that are amber but are about to become red. Mr. Johnson seemed to distance himself from the policy yesterday because he said he wanted the travel rules to be “as simple as possible and friendly to people”. Then it fell last night.

Green: Returning passengers must participate in the pre-departure test and book the test for the next day. Unless the test is positive, no one needs to be isolated.

Paul Charles, CEO of The PC Agency, a travel consultancy, said: “The Prime Minister can win huge support by making travel easier, not just by canceling the watch list, but also by expanding the green list and creating a US Stop and stop system like people." Used by citizens.

'The United States is still protected by pre-departure testing. The UK can follow a similar pattern, because the government’s own data shows that there are no variants from amber or green countries.

"Let's look at the end of complex traffic lights and the less onerous test of steering."

Travel agencies warned that changing rules are causing mistrust among European hoteliers.

Noel Josephides, head of the professional travel association Aito, told the Guardian: "Hoteliers are rejecting bookings from the UK in August because they don't trust us-and European tourists are taking advantage of our availability.

'No confidence; when our sword of Damocles is constantly hanging over us, things may change at any time and lead to cancellation, why should people trust us?

Fiona Charrington, CEO of Martin Randall Travel, said: "Some hoteliers are losing patience.

"If a German company or a British company wants to book, they will of course choose a company that is unlikely to make changes at the last minute."

Just last night, after strong protests from backbenchers and concerns from major cabinet ministers, the Prime Minister was forced to cancel the government's proposal for the Amber Watch List-experts warned that this could cause chaos for millions of British holidaymakers.

It is said that the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rich Sunak, the Minister of Transportation Grant Sharps and the Minister of International Trade Liz Truss opposed these plans.

Some Conservative backbenchers also publicly opposed these proposals. According to the "Daily Telegraph" report, some people "bombed" Mr. Shapus with phone calls and messages, indicating that they did not like these plans.

According to reports, one of them told the “Daily Telegraph” before suddenly turning around: “This is really a matter of losing votes. People really like this.

At the same time, the Labor Party also criticized the plan last night. The party’s shadow transportation minister Jim McMahon accused the government of “complete confusion” in border policy.