The UK’s travel rules descended into farce today as ministers dismissed Dominic Raab’s claim that France was hit with ‘amber plus’ quarantine rules because of Covid cases on Reunion island 6,000 miles away.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted the Foreign Secretary was wrong to make the connection yesterday, amid a furious reaction from Paris.
The decision two weeks ago led to thousands of fully-vaccinated holidaymakers having to self-isolate for ten days on their return.
The diplomatic spat escalate over recent days after France was missed out of a UK quarantine exemption for travellers who have been double-jabbed in the EU.
Meanwhile, Italy is reportedly not reciprocating the get-out granted by Britain, meaning vaccinated holidaymakers will still need to isolate on arrival.
There are claims that EU leaders are resisting easing rules for Britons partly out of ‘frustration’ with the standoff over Brexit.
The UK’s travel rules descended into farce today as ministers dismissed Dominic Raab’s claim that France was hit with ‘amber plus’ quarantine rules because of Covid cases on Reunion island 6,000 miles away
A senior government source also slapped down Mr Raab (pictured yesterday), insisting that he had been wrong
In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the decision had been down to ‘overall concern’ about France, not the situation on Reunion
French Europe minister Clement Beaune yesterday branded the UK’s stance towards his country ‘excessive and frankly baffling’.
‘If I understood correctly, this is being done in the name of the famous Beta variant, the South African variant, which represents less than 5 per cent of cases in France, most of which are in our overseas territories that are not affected by the same flows of people towards the UK,’ he said.
In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Shapps said the decision had been down to ‘overall concern’ about France, not the situation on Reunion.
A senior government source also slapped down Mr Raab, insisting that he had been wrong.
The source said: ‘Ministers took this decision based on data on the prevalence of the Beta variant in mainland France.’ They added: ‘This data did not include La Reunion.’
Mr Raab’s comments led to fresh criticism of the Government’s decision, which many are hoping will be reversed next week.
But there are also growing concerns that even if France is removed from the amber-plus list, Spain could be added because of rising cases there.
The remote island is nearly 5,800 miles (9,334km) away from Paris and when this was pointed out during an interview yesterday, Mr Raab said: ‘It’s not the distance that matters, it’s the ease of travel between different component parts of every individual country.’
The Beta variant is a cause for concern because it is believed to be more resistant to the AstraZeneca vaccine. A spokesman for Brittany Ferries said: ‘This is madness. It would be like France hammering British holidaymakers due to a Covid outbreak on the Falkland Islands.
‘It makes you wonder if those in the centre of power have access to an atlas or a geography GCSE between them.’
Paul Charles, of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: ‘One has to question how long we will have to put up with poor political decision-making which is threatening people’s livelihoods and jobs. France should be removed from the ridiculous amber-plus category quickly as it poses no major threat.’
French Europe minister Clement Beaune yesterday branded the UK’s stance towards his country ‘excessive and frankly baffling’
Layla Moran, chairman of the all-party Parliamentary group on coronavirus, said: ‘Ministers should have clear justifications for any changes made with regards to international travel. This slapdash approach will only continue to undermine public confidence.’
No 10 has continued to insist the decision to place France on the amber-plus list had no relation to La Reunion. It said the Government used data which said that Beta cases in mainland France stood at 5 per cent.
France is the only EU country from which those vaccinated under the UK programme must self-isolate for ten days when they return.
The decision is set to be reviewed next week and ministers are hopeful that the country could be removed from the list.
The Government is considering replacing amber-plus with a new ‘amber watchlist’ to deter people from travelling to areas with high Covid rates.
The list would show which countries could change to ‘red’ at any moment, forcing travellers to pay £1,750 per adult to stay in quarantine hotels on their return.
There are fears that Spain could be added to the amber watchlist next week.