Markus Andrews

Downing Street has warned Britons to make sure their holidays are refundable before booking.The warning came as the travel industry reported a surge in bookings for summer breaks in so-called “amber list” countries like France, Spain and Greece.Travel to these countries is legal after the latest relaxation of lockdown rules on Monday, but anyone returning to England from an amber country is required to quarantine for 10 days at home.After days of confusion over the status of amber-list countries, Boris Johnson said yesterday that visits should be made only in “extreme circumstances”, such as the illness of a family member, and not for holidays.But thousands of people are believed to have made bookings in the hope that their destination will be moved from the amber to green list by the time they travel, removing the requirement to quarantine.Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson today confirmed that the next review of the traffic light system will come “three weeks from the week commencing 17 May”.This suggests that any changes will be announced no earlier than 7 June – later than many in the travel industry were hoping.Asked if people were wise to book holidays in the hope of their intended destination moving to the green list by the time they travel, the spokesperson said: “We will update, as I said there’s a three weekly review point and we will give people a week’s notice about those changes to the green list.”He added: “What we’ve said from the start is we’ve encouraged people that do want to seek to book holidays further on in the year, given this global pandemic and the uncertainty around it, it’s wise to book holidays that you can get refundable or can be delayed and to speak to their travel operators when they’re doing so.”The development came as the authorities warned they are conducting around 10,000 home checks every day to catch holiday-makers flouting the home quarantine rule.One calculation has found that up to 54,000 passengers a day will flock to sunspots such as Spain, Greece, Italy and France, with a total of 1,300 flights scheduled to fly to amber list countries by Sunday.Transport secretary Grant Shapps refused four times during an interview today to say whether it was “responsible or irresponsible” to holiday in amber list countries.Of major European holiday destinations, only Portugal is currently on the government’s green list.Asked if he was pushing for the green list to be extended, Mr Shapps replied: “Yes of course.”Travel agents Tui told The Independent:”We want to offer our customers flexibility and choice this summer, so where borders are open and FCDO (Foreign Office) advice allows travel, we will operate to those destinations. “We review our holiday cancellations in line with the government updates every three weeks, with the next update due in early June. We know some customers may be unsure about travelling this summer, so we’ve offered free changes 14 days before travel for anyone due to travel before the end of August.” More

Around 10,000 home checks will be carried out every day to catch holidaymakers flouting the 10-day isolation rule on returning from an ‘amber list’ country.Enforcement is being stepped up as ministers plea with British tourists stay at home – but it still appeared likely to be swamped by the huge number of flights taking off.One calculation found that up to 54,000 passengers a day will flock to sunspots such as Spain, Greece, Italy and France, with a total of 1,300 flights scheduled to fly to amber list countries by Sunday.Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, refused – four times – to say whether it was “responsible or irresponsible” to defy Boris Johnson and go on holiday there.He also hinted the ‘green list’ of quarantine-free destinations will expand soon – just days after the prime minister warned holidaymakers to expect disappointment.Asked if he was pushing for “the green list to be extended”, Mr Shapps replied: “Yes of course.”Amid the Cabinet confusion over travel to amber countries, the Home Office said it could now carry out 10,000 home inspections a day, with 30,000 conducted last week.Anyone found to be out of their house when required to be self-isolating risks a fine of up to £10,000 – although only around 600 are thought to have been imposed so far.Asked if such people should expect a “knock on the door” when they return from holidays, Priti Patel told the Daily Mail: “Yes, people should.“There is a service, provision is in place, capacity has been increased for that very reason. People will not go unchecked.“Significant resources have been put in place – millions of pounds – in terms of the follow-up checking of people around their testing and making sure they stay at home. It has been stepped up.”On BBC Radio 4, Mr Shapps was accused of “spin” when the government claimed that isolation-flouters would face tough action, because of the huge numbers of travellers.He denied the claims of 54,000 daily passengers to amber countries, saying: “We are not seeing those numbers, I don’t know where they are coming from” – but was unable to provide any alternative figures.Refusing to say such trips are “irresponsible”, Mr Shapps said: “We’ve said that you should only go to amber countries in exceptional circumstances, so that answers that question.”Cirium, a global aviation data firm, has said the number of scheduled flights and passengers to Italy, Greece and Spain will increase by up to 200 per cent in the next three days.They include a doubling to Spain, from 38 flights yesterday to 80 on Saturday carrying up to 16,000 travellers, a trebling to Italy, from six yesterday to 19 on Saturday carrying up to 3,400 people, and France, up from six to 10.The seven holiday companies flying to amber countries between now and early June are Tui, easyJet, BA, Expedia, Lastminute.com, Virgin and Travel Republic, according to consumer organisation Which. More

The UK failed to secure the Brexit agreement it wanted for Northern Ireland, its negotiator has admitted – despite Boris Johnson hailing it as “a great deal” at the time.In extraordinary comments, David Frost conceded that hopes that the agreement would protect smooth trade had been dashed, blaming the pressure the government was under in late 2019.“We expected to be able to get some facilitations that we didn’t get. We expected there would be a trusted trader scheme, for example,” Lord Frost said.“We expected, like every other free trade agreement, there’d be an equivalence mechanism in there. None of that we’ve got.”Yet, in November 2019 – after the Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed – the prime minister celebrated it, saying: “Northern Ireland has got a great deal.“You keep free movement, you keep access to the single market and, as it says in the deal, unfettered access to the UK.”Mr Johnson has since been repeatedly criticised for falsely claiming the agreement would not require costly and burdensome checks on trade across the Irish Sea.In January, there were empty shelves in supermarkets and – although that crisis eased – the government shelved full inspections to avoid a repeat, triggering a legal action by the EU.Loyalists have threatened violence unless the Protocol is ripped up and Lord Frost warned the height of the marching season, in July, is a deadline for avoiding further unrest.In an interview for The Spectator magazine, Mr Johnson’s handpicked negotiator blamed the duress of striking the deal while Parliament was gridlocked and MPs manoeuvred to block a no-deal Brexit.“We signed it in conditions, obviously, as you remember, where we had the Benn-Burt Act and the requirement to get a deal before we could deliver on the referendum result,” he said.The Protocol, and the wider withdrawal agreement, was also hailed as “oven-ready” by the prime minister – although it did nothing to settle the terms of future trade.Naomi Smith, chief executive of the Best for Britain campaign group, said the comments showed “the spin around Boris’ ‘great deal’ has completely unraveled”.“Ministers are so relaxed about admitting their deception, it tells us all we need to know about their disdain for the electorate, not to mention the small businesses suffering the consequences,” she said.In the interview, Lord Frost made clear the UK will not agree to align its food rules with the EU, suggested as the solution to removing the vast bulk of cross-sea checks.He is instead seeking the “equivalence” agreement – where the two sides respect each other’s rules – but Brussels has suggested it will reject that.In hardline comments, Lord Frost said: “I don’t understand why a third country would do a deal with a country that didn’t control its own agri-food rules, since that is so central to what’s important in trade deals nowadays.”And, revealing the poor state of the negotiations with the EU, he added: “They’ve been so reluctant to have the discussion in the first place.” More

Today’s daily politics briefingThe UK did not secure the Brexit deal it wanted for Northern Ireland, the former chief negotiatior David Frost has admitted.Speaking toThe Spectator, the minister blamed the pressure the government faced in late 2019 for the disappointing result. His words paint a different picture from Boris Johnson’s assurances in November 2019 that Northern Ireland had “a great deal”.In other Brexit-related news, an expert has accused the government of appearing “desperate” in its attempts to strike free trade deals. David Henig, the co-founder of the UK Trade Forum, told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that a deal with Australia will set a precedent for future ones with other major agricultural exporters like New Zealand and the US.He suggested it was not “the smartest of moves” for the UK to strive for a deal by the G7 Summit on 11 June, as this gives Australia a stronger bargaining position. “We are desperate to get those deals – that’s the modus operandi of this government. We need to hope they are going to be the right deals and balance all the different interests,” Mr Henig said.Show latest update

1621520125Sunak ‘proud’ of Eat Out to Help Out scheme Rishi Sunak has said that a similar scheme to last year’s Eat Out to Help Out initiative will not be needed.Speaking to BBC Radio’s Newsbeat, the chancellor said the government “doesn’t have the same concern we had a year ago”. Businesses claimed more than £849 million through the state-backed scheme, which offered half-price meals up to £10. The initiative was later criticised, with some suggesting that it had led to a surge in coronavirus cases.“It is a scheme I am proud of,” Mr Sunak said in defence of the policy. Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 15:151621518925Sign up to The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter For the politically-minded, The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter is the ideal early morning read. Adam Forrest will keep you up-to-date with the latest developments from Westminster and further afield. Sign up here:Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 14:551621517725Ensure holidays are refundable before booking, Downing Street urges No 10 has urged travellers to ensure holidays are refundable before booking, writes Andrew Woodcock. The advice follows a surge in books to “amber list” destinations, which the prime minister said yesterday should only be visited in “extreme circumstances”. Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said the next travel review would take place in three weeks. Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 14:351621516525Former Labour MP breached parliament’s sexual misconduct policyMike Hill, the former Labour MP for Hartlepool, has been found to have breached parliament’s sexual misconduct policy. A Commons independent expert panel said he would have faced suspension if he had not resigned his position, triggering the recent Hartlepool by-election. The speaker Lindsay Hoyle has now stripped Mr Hill of his right to a parliamentary pass as a former MP. These latest developments come after one of his former staffers claimed he sexually harassed and bullied her for 16 months. Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 14:151621515325Government committed on climate change despite Australia FTA concerns, says Downing Street Downing Street has responded to concerns about the environmental ramifications of a free trade with Australia by saying the government remains committed to climate action. The worries centre around the likely increase in beef and lamb exports from the other side of the world if an Australian tariff-free trade agreement goes ahead. In response, a No 10 spokesperson said: “We have significant commitments that we are delivering on climate change. “Obviously we would want to take all those things into consideration when looking at any sort of deal.“We remain very committed to our ambitious commitments on climate change.”Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 13:551621514125Surge in B.1.617.2 variant fuelled by test-and-trace failures, report findsThe surge of the B1.617.2 variant in the UK was worsened by test-and-trace failures, a report has discovered.Eight local authorities – including the badly-affected Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire – did not receive full data on positive tests for three weeks in April and May, it claims. “It beggars belief that yet again local health experts on ground have been left in the dark for two weeks when we know acting with speed is vital to containing an outbreak,” shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said. Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 13:351621512922Great British Railways: What powers will the new public body have? The government wants to fix the country’s train system because it is “just too complicated”, the transport secretary Grant Shapps said earlier today. Ministers hope to improve services through the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), a new public rail operator.But what powers does GBR have and will it work? Joe Sommerlad has all the answers:Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 13:151621511541Transport secretary says public body taking over all trains ‘is not renationalisation’In a statement to the Commons, Grant Shapps told MPs: “This is not renationalisation, which this government continues to believes failed the railways – rather it is a simplification.”While Great British Railways acts as the guiding mind to co-ordinate the whole network, our plan will see greater involvement of the private sector.”Private companies will be contracted to run the trains and services, and fares will be set by Great British Railways.”But it’ll work more like London buses and London Overground – delivered by private companies but branded as a single national service.”Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: “While I welcome steps to increase public ownership and control over the railways, as you’d expect, it doesn’t go far enough in this current plan.”I believe there is ample proof that demonstrates that fuller public ownership rather than a concessionary model would better serve the state, the public and long-term investment.”Samuel Osborne20 May 2021 12:521621509762Former MP breached Parliament sexual misconduct policy, independent panel findsFormer MP Mike Hill breached Parliament’s sexual misconduct policy, an independent panel has found.The Independent Expert Panel (IEP) said Mr Hill, who quit as Hartlepool MP in March, would have faced a significant sanction had he not resigned.Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has stripped Mr Hill of his right to a parliamentary pass as a former member.Sir Stephen Irwin, chairman of the IEP has said: “The sub-panel took a very serious view of his conduct, and had he remained a member of Parliament, a significant sanction would have been under consideration.”In the light of his resignation, however, the sub-panel concluded that no available sanction met the facts of this case and the specific circumstances of the responder. They therefore did not impose or recommend a sanction.”Former Labour MP Mr Hill is also facing an employment tribunal case, with a decision expected to be made towards the end of June.Samuel Osborne20 May 2021 12:221621508457UK failed to secure desired Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, says FrostThe prime minister’s chief Brexit negotiator has admitted that the UK did not secure the deal it wanted for Northern Ireland.David Frost’s comments to The Spectator paint a different picture from Boris Johnson’s assurances in November 2019 that Northern Ireland “has got a great deal”. Rob Merrick reports:Rory Sullivan20 May 2021 12:00 More

The former Labour MP Mike Hill accused of sexually harassing a member of staff breached parliament’s sexual misconduct rules, a panel has found.The House of Commons’ independent expert panel said Mr Hill – who quit as Hartlepool MP in March and sparked the recent by-election – would have faced suspension had he not resigned.Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has now stripped Mr Hill of his right to a parliamentary pass as a former member.Sir Stephen Irwin, chairman of the panel, said: “The sub-panel took a very serious view of his conduct, and had he remained a member of parliament, a significant sanction would have been under consideration.”The former Labour MP is also facing an employment tribunal case over sexual harassment claims, with a decision expected to be made towards the end of June.His former parliamentary staffer has claimed the 57-year-old carried out a campaign of sexual harassment and bullying against her for 16-months while he was in office.She also alleges the former MP groped her and rubbed his penis against her body in his London flat.Earlier this week the tribunal heard Mr Hill’s claim that his ex-parliamentary staffer was only bringing a sexual harassment case against him out of revenge. He has denied harassing her when she rebuffed his advances.The tribunal has also heard that he sent her texts telling her he “craved” her body, told her he was “in love” with her and described himself as being “emotionally f*****”.Separate to the ongoing tribunal, the member of staff made a complaint under the Commons’ independent complaints and grievance scheme.She alleged Mr Hill subjected her to behaviour amounting to sexual misconduct in shared private accommodation and in his parliamentary office.In a 31-page report released on Thursday, the independent expert panel found Mr Hill had breached parliament’s sexual misconduct policy and would have “likely” suspended him.However, it found there was no sanction to impose “in light of his resignation” in March – triggering the by-election that saw the former red wall seat of Hartlepool go to the Tories. More

Boris Johnson has announced that Britain is to have a new public rail operator, Great British Railways (GBR), in the biggest shakeup of the country’s trains since privatisation a quarter of a century ago.“I am a great believer in rail, but for too long passengers have not had the level of service they deserve,” the prime minister said in a statement on Wednesday, alluding to the bewildering array of different companies, fares and bosses that have constituted the UK’s fragmented network since the demise of British Rail between 1994 and 1997.The present system is “just too complicated”, transport secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News, adding that the reforms represent “a simplification which I think people will broadly welcome.”“This will be still with the involvement of the private sector, running the concessions, running the actual trains, but they get paid for running those trains on time, keeping them tidy and clean, and it will be a single organisation selling you the tickets and running the timetable,” he said.The government has been considering the future of the UK’s railways since May 2018 when the introduction of new timetables caused chaos, prompting it to commission a review of the industry from Keith Williams, the former chief executive of British Airways.But the need for a rethink became even clearer during the coronavirus pandemic, which effectively collapsed the franchising system as the government found itself forced to assume the financial liabilities of operators when demand evaporated with the introduction of the first national lockdown in March 2020, ultimately costing it £12bn.According to its new white paper, the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, GBR will now own and maintain Britain’s rail infrastructure, as well as collecting and setting all fares and contracting private companies to run the trains.Those firms will be paid a flat management fee in a model similar to the “concession” system used on the London Overground and Docklands Light Railway services by Transport for London while GBR keeps the fare revenue and bears any risk.The UK’s first publicly accountable body for the industry since Labour transport secretary Alastair Darling abolished the Strategic Rail Authority in 2006, GBR will also have control over the future direction and development of the national network, a move signalling a post-Brexit break with EU rules mandating the separation of train and track management to encourage competition.The changes will ultimately see vast swathes of powers shifted from the Department for Transport (DfT) and from private operators towards GBR, which will resurrect the classic British Rail “double arrow” logo when it officially launches in 2023.Many of its reforms will be brought in before that time, including the introduction of flexible season tickets offering savings on certain routes for people who travel to work two or three times a week, which will go on sale on 21 June for use seven days later.There will also be a “significant rollout” of more pay-as-you-go, contactless and digital ticketing on smartphones, according to the DfT.Some questions remain open, such as whether trains will be painted with a unified national GBR brand or whether the individual identities of different operators like Avanti, South Western Railway and GWR will be retained.While the plan has been cautiously welcomed by rail and passenger groups, Labour’s shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said it “raises more questions than it answers”.“A lack of proper detail on flexible tickets and whether it will make travel cheaper for the average commuter renders it meaningless for millions and completely fails to meet the scale of challenge required to encourage people back onto the rail network post-pandemic,” he said.Britain’s love-hate relationship with its railways is certainly in need of addressing.Speaking about the pandemic in Westminster earlier this spring, Mr Johnson preached caution to the public by warning that the infection graphs would otherwise begin “curling up like old British Rail sandwiches”, the simile a perfect encapsulation of the attitude most of us hold towards taking the train: a conflicted blend of loathing and nostalgia.Mr Shapps made the same joke on Wednesday: “I want the ticketing to be straightforward and simple and we won’t be going back to the days of British Rail with terrible sandwiches and all the rest of it.”For most of us, the pre-pandemic reality of modern intercity train travel was a profoundly miserable experience and the state of its lunch options only a fraction of the problem.The aisles of carriages were typically packed to bursting with depressed commuters clutching overpriced coffees and phones, blocking the exits with wheeled suitcases, as coughing season ticket holders camped out in the toilet because there was nowhere else to sit, having shelled out an extortionate repeat-fee for the privilege.Those lucky enough to secure a seat meanwhile slobbed out like kings, devouring packets of M&S crisps, spewing crumbs and quaffing cans, often playing music loud to the aggravation of readers desperate for civility and quiet in the Quiet Zone.But the dreamers amongst us still pine for a revival of the golden age of British railway with its dappled pre-Beeching branch lines stopping at remote country stations like Dilton Marsh Hall and tea served in china cups, its passing moments of tranquility like that described in “Adlestrop” by Edward Thomas.If the GBR could restore even a fraction of the order of that lost world a century later, its reforms would be very welcome indeed. More

The government will write to local authorities and landowners to tell them that they must allow the restart of Parkrun events, the culture secretary has said.Oliver Dowden said he was “frustrated” that many councils had blocked the return of the hugely popular health runs over coronavirus fears.The minister made clear that Parkrun events across England have had legal permission to return since changes were made to the Covid restrictions on 29 March.“It is something that I have discussed with [communities secretary Robert Jenrick] and he and I will shortly be sending a very clear message and signal in writing to local authorities about our expectation that those events should proceed,” Mr Dowden said on Thursday.Parkrun organisers have decided to relaunch their programme of 5km circuit events on 5 June, but fear a widespread return could be delayed “indefinitely” due to a lack of permission from many council bosses.Only 231 of Parkrun’s 589 events have got either full or partial go ahead from councils and landowners, organisers have said.Calling for national recognition of the latest rules, Parkrun chief executive Nick Pearson said: “It’s impossible to have 600 conversations with local authorities and negotiate to get it back.”Both London mayor Sadiq Khan and Lord Coe – who led the successful 2012 Olympic Games bid – have written open letters in support of Parkrun’s full return.Lord Coe told BBC Breakfast on Thursday: “It does seem crazy that [Parkrun organisers] are being asked to do things that supermarket, theatres, cinemas, even sporting events … are not asking to do.”The culture secretary’s intervention came in response to concerns raised by shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens in the House of Commons.“There is completely inconsistent decision making across authorities and the situation is threatening Parkrun’s future,” the Labour MP stated.“And as Great Britain Olympian Greg Rutherford has said, if we are all allowed to go and pile into restaurants again, why on earth can we not run around outside?”Mr Dowden said he “completely shared [Ms Stevens’] frustration that this is not happening” – promising that he would make clear to councils and landowners that they should accept the nationally-approved guidelines. More

Boris Johnson has been warned his prospective free trade deal with Australia could “decimate” the British farming industry, as opposition parties unite against a zero-tariff agreement.Senior cabinet ministers are set to meet on Thursday morning to discuss the proposed deal – with several ministers believed to be against the plan pushed by international trade secretary Liz Truss.Labour’s shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry warned the government not to not to strike a deal just to “prove a political point” about Britain’s post-Brexit economic independence.“I don’t think there’s likely to be a country around the world that is going into a deal saying, ‘Well yeah, it may decimate our farming industry, but we need to have a deal in order to prove some political point’,” Ms Thornberry told Sky News on Thursday.The Labour frontbencher added: “Why would we want to undermine our farming industry? We have high standards in our country of animal welfare and food production, and we don’t want that undermined by cheap imports of food not produced to the same standard.”A major rift has reportedly opened in cabinet over a deal being negotiated by Ms Truss with Australia, over concerns about the damage done by granting tariff-free access to UK markets.Environment secretary George Eustice and Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove are understood to be against allowing tariff-free access, with Ms Truss and Brexit minister Lord Frost pushing for it.The Nation Farmers’ Union (NFU) and other farming groups have warned ministers they would “struggle to compete” if zero-tariff trade on lamb and beef went ahead.Both the SNP and Plaid Cymru have also voiced strong opposition to the plan, arguing that it would undercut Scottish and Welsh farmers.On Wednesday, the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford told Mr Johnson he was preparing to throw the farming and crofting community “under the Brexit bus”.Boris Johnson tells farmers not to be ‘frightened’ of free trade with AustraliaPlaid Cymru’s international trade spokesperson Hywel Williams said a zero-tariffs deal with Australia would “devastate the Welsh farming industry for generations”.He added: “The prime minister is again showing his willingness to sacrifice Welsh agriculture for cheap political gain.”However, Ms Truss has insisted British farmers “will not be undercut” by any agreement with Australia, amid fears over imports of lamb and beef.Speaking to MPs on the Commons International Trade Committee on Wednesday, she said: “I have had discussions with the National Farmers’ Union, I’ve been very clear with them that … British farmers will not be undercut by unfair practices from elsewhere.Ms Truss added: “We will make sure in all the deals we do that British farming thrives and I’m absolutely confident that will be achieved through the Australia deal.” More