Boris Johnson has hinted his government will ditch a plan to add a new “amber watchlist” category to its Covid travel list – saying he wanted the traffic light system to stay “as simple and user friendly as possible”.
The government has been considering a new category to let travellers know which amber countries are at risk of turning red – but the idea has sparked a huge backlash from the travel industry, Labour and Tory backbenchers.
Junior minister Matt Warman defended the idea earlier on Monday – claiming that moving away from three “cut-and-dried categories” to a wider “spectrum” would not be complicated.
But the prime minister later said he wanted to keep a simple, user-friendly system of rules and was keen to “get the travel industry moving again”.
Asked whether he back the idea of an amber watchlist, Mr Johnson told reporters: “I understand that people care very much about their holidays, people want to go abroad, I understand how much people plan, prepare, for the summer holidays.”
He added: “We have also got to remember this is still a dangerous virus and we must try and stop variants coming in, so we have to have a balanced approach … What I want to see is something that is as simple and as user-friendly for people as possible.”
