Travel

British holidaymakers face the prospect of more expensive getaways should Rachel Reeves proceed with tax increases in next month’s Budget, according to the UK’s two largest tour operators. Neil Swanson, Tui’s UK managing director, warned that “holidays will become too costly for some people if the Chancellor does this”. Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy, meanwhile, expressed fears about the Budget raising taxes by £50 billion annually and “screwing Middle England”. Ms Reeves has indicated she is exploring potential tax rises and spending cuts for her 26 November Budget, aiming to address an estimated £50 billion fiscal deficit. Her inaugural Budget last October saw the announcement of an additional £40 billion in annual taxes.Mr Swanson warned that travel companies would be forced to raise holiday prices if taxes on businesses were increased further.People will be priced out of the market if taxes are raised, warn travel bosses More

Britons heading to Europe are being warned to pack extra patience – as the EU’s long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) finally launches, threatening four-hour queues, new fingerprint checks and a £400m hit to the UK economy.Many Independent readers were quick to point out that the UK helped design EES, accusing the government of hypocrisy and reaping what it sowed. One simply noted that “the system bears the UK’s seal of approval,” since it was backed by British ministers and MEPs before Brexit.While some readers dismissed the predicted disruption as “no big deal,” others warned it would hit the economy hard – particularly hauliers and holidaymakers – with one remarking that “Brexit is going to be more real this year as the EU takes back control of borders.”There was sharp division over blame: some targeted “Brexiteers” for the loss of free movement, while others said younger voters must share responsibility for low turnout in 2016. Here’s what you had to say:What we really lostBorder control has always existed – no one travels between countries without checks. What Brexit changed is the ease and cost of doing so.British citizens now face more bureaucracy, fees, and hours-long queues because the UK chose to become a “third country”. We didn’t gain sovereignty – we just lost the automatic rights, protections, and frictionless access that made travel, trade, and work across Europe simpler and cheaper.Anyone familiar with international trade and border policy could see this outcome coming.Let’s remember – easier and cheaper travel was probably the least of what we lost leaving the EU.Before Brexit, Brits had the right to live, work, and retire freely in 27 countries, with automatic healthcare and pension recognition. Work across Europe and every contribution counted towards one pension. Healthcare covered you anywhere in the EU for life.These weren’t “perks” – they were fundamental rights that gave people freedom, security, and opportunity.Brexit didn’t just end frictionless travel and trade – it stripped away rights that made everyday life better for millions.IsabBrexit gets realUK residents made over 134 million trips to Europe in 2024, accounting for nearly 90 per cent of all outbound travel.Brexit is going to be more real this year, as the EU takes back control of borders.For UK goods, the full Brexit costs and delays have been in place since early 2021 when we left the SM/CU. Food inflation in the UK since then has been a cumulative 45 per cent versus 27 per cent in the EU. Enjoy!wolfieNo big dealI went through Prague airport just three weeks ago and had to use the new system.There were no queues and my blue passport scanned OK. My wife’s old EU/UK passport had to go through passport control for her to be finger-scanned.No big deal.The EU zone has made strides (at great cost) to shore up its border entry system, while all I’ve seen at UK airports and ports are the same excuses (lack of staff and tech breakdowns) as before Brexit.Bubba Ho-TepThe point of passportsThis is why we left. Complete waste of money and time – and if it does lead to four-hour delays at airports, then I’ll be holidaying elsewhere than in the EU. Isn’t it the point of passports to confirm people’s identities? Why the need for photos and fingerprints?ChrisMatthewsYou knew about itThe EES has been years in the making. The original decision to go this route dates from when you were still an EU member, which means:You knew about it Your government agreed to it Your parliament agreed to it Your MEPs voted on it (well, UKIP will have been playing truant as they only went to Belgium to drink better quality beers). Who cares about £400,000,000 when you can control your own borders (well, you don’t actually, but you could if you wanted – and that is worth much more than having an extra 16,000 nurses working for your health).Don’t forget to thank Nigel and Boris for your (unused) Suvrinty.RebootedyetagainHans2An excellent system – designed by BritainAs Britain took part in designing EES, and fully embraced it while a member, it’s certainly an excellent system bearing the UK’s seal of approval.MadamDeputySpeakerBrexit benefits for the BrexiteersI do wish the Brexiteers could all be identified and they are the ones who are given all the Brexit ‘benefits’ rather than all of us having to shoulder them. What is most unfair is that the Boomers all have triple lock state pensions. They voted overwhelmingly for Brexit and should enjoy the ‘benefits’ just like younger people.FYI I am a boomer and I would be happy to accept these penalties just to ram home to the less enlightened just what they ‘achieved’.BlindPewA shared responsibilityVery sadly, even following the economic shambles post-referendum, I see little sign of the UK rejoining the EU. We are not even at the stage where there is rational debate about the issue. The EU have said informally that they would not entertain a reapplication unless there is a political consensus amongst politicians. There is no prospect of such a consensus. The UK will not be rejoining in the foreseeable future.I now have an EU passport and so am not affected by this immediate issue, but I feel sorry for those Remainers who are.Those who are keen to blame older voters for the folly of Brexit need to remember that turnout amongst younger voters was low; hence the latter cannot escape part of the blame. Baby boomers could not have secured a Leave win on their own.And another point: given that it’s certainly younger voters who are most adversely affected by Brexit, why is it that they have done so little to campaign for rejoining the EU? Why aren’t they active in the European Movement (or they could have set up an organisation of their own)? They have been active in identity politics, but certainly not on this issue.Brexit was a collective responsibility and younger voters cannot duck that responsibility which they share with their elders.MusilShort memories“It’s utterly unacceptable that the UK could lose nearly half a billion pounds thanks to the government failing to negotiate properly with the EU over the new entry programme.”The Lib Dems have very short memories. The EU offered simplified border controls – Johnson insisted that we should be treated as a “third country”. The Tories are to blame as well as Farage.JookDouble standardsA passport doesn’t say if you are on a terrorist watch list or if you have a conviction for a serious crime – both of which could be a threat to national security.The double standards of Brexiteers and anti-migrant Farage-ists make Machiavelli look straight as a Roman road – the UK has every right to control its borders but the EU doesn’t?And if you think it will be any easier elsewhere, I suggest you try the US for your next holiday – fingerprints, iris scans and photos are all part of the deal there.bleujeuneNot a big dealOnce inside the Schengen area there are no border checks except in special circumstances, mainly to do with security issues.If I travel to France for example, once I’ve passed through border control I can travel freely to Belgium, Germany, Spain, Italy etc without having to pass through border control or show my passport.There are no internal checks within the Schengen area. This applies to Brits as well as to EU citizens and everyone else.Being a third country is not as big a deal as many like to make out.KingswoodSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

Plans to expand Heathrow Airport with a £21bn third runway are back on the table – and the divide, between those in support and those against, is already a chasm.The project, aimed at boosting economic growth and creating jobs, has won support from the Labour government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves insists the expansion will go ahead, despite mounting opposition from within her own party.London mayor Sadiq Khan has threatened legal action, warning that a third runway would worsen air pollution, increase noise for residents and put Britain’s climate targets at risk. He joins other senior Labour figures, including Andy Burnham and Ed Miliband, in questioning the government’s priorities.Heathrow says it can get planning consent by 2029 and open the runway within a decade. But critics argue that the project will have a “huge knock-on effect” on London’s infrastructure – and risk deepening regional inequalities by focusing growth in the capital.So, do you back the plan to expand Heathrow – or believe it’s the wrong direction for the UK?Vote in our poll and tell us what you think in the comments below. More

HS2 will provide more track, more trains, more seats and faster journeys to improve performance and reliability across Britain’s rail network.” So says the hitherto dysfunctional organisation that has squandered billions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash with precious little to show for it.A more accurate claim might be: “We have an unlimited pot of taxpayers’ money and we are going to spend it.”New chief executive, Mark Wild, says the position he has inherited is “unacceptable” and that HS2 has “failed in its mission to control costs and deliver to schedule”.“We must intervene to regain control of the programme and reset it to deliver at the lowest feasible cost, while maintaining safety and value for money.”Since taking office, Labour has spent almost a year assembling evidence to pin the blame for the shambles on the Tories; now it must pick up the pieces and deliver at least something. Heidi Alexander on Wednesday told the House of Commons she is drawing a “line in the sand” over the beleaguered rail project, which she called an “appalling mess,” and admitted there is no chance it will open by its most recent delayed target date of 2033.These are the key questions and answers.What is the history of high-speed rail in the UK?High Speed One is the 68-mile fast railway line from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel at Folkestone in Kent, which opened in 2008. It cost less than £7bn, roughly £100m per mile.High Speed Two is a much more ambitious rail project, originally involving 345 miles of new high-speed track. HS2 was designed to relieve pressure on the West Coast and East Coast main lines, to move intercity passengers to a dedicated network, reduce journey times and increase capacity.The existing West Coast main line is the busiest intercity route in Europe, handling a mix of express passenger services, commuter trains and freight. There is no room for expansion, and the system has little resilience.HS2 began as a dream in 2009, gathering all-party support for a project that would unify the nation with proper 21st-century rail connections from London to the Midlands and northern England, with improved journeys to Scotland. Trains were due to start running in 2026.Sixteen years and about £40bn later, there is now no prospect of any high-speed trains running for another decade – after tens of billions more have been spent on an embarrassing stump of a line between London and Birmingham.The total cost, estimated in 2010 at £33bn for the whole project, is now expected to reach as much as £100bn for a much-reduced line: the 140 miles of Phase 1, which will include stations at London Euston, Old Oak Common in west London, Interchange Station in Solihull and Birmingham Curzon Street. The cost per mile? About £700m.What went wrong?Wild says: “Construction commenced too soon, without the conditions to enable productive delivery, such as stable and consented designs. From the start, the cost and schedule estimates were optimistic with inadequate provision for risk.”After signing nonsensical construction contracts that left taxpayers on the hook for spectacular overspends, a succession of ministers – in particular, transport secretaries – have wrought further expensive havoc by repeatedly changing their minds.The most essential parts of the scheme – a northwestern leg to Crewe and Manchester, and a northeast leg to Sheffield and Leeds – were scrapped in an attempt to save money amid ballooning costs and to try to drum up votes from motorists.In a crowded field of contenders for the most egregious act of vandalism against desperately needed national infrastructure, one figure stands out: Rishi Sunak, who scrapped the link to Manchester in a speech delivered… in Manchester. Britain’s then prime minister pretended the money saved would be spent on piecemeal transport improvements collectively called “Network North” – which turned out to include projects in Kent and Devon.Did anybody notice?Not HS2. As recently as August 2024, the organisation’s annual report claimed: “The forecast for initial services between Birmingham and Old Oak Common remains in the range 2029-2033.”In July 2023 Mark Thurston resigned after six years as chief executive, during which he earned a total of £4,495,408. The-then transport secretary, Mark Harper, praised Mr Thurston’s work, saying: “I want to thank him for his work over the last six years on progressing Britain’s most transformative rail project.”He successfully oversaw the start of construction and drove the project to full scale.”But the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, which reports to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, concluded in 2023: “There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”The Department for Transport (DfT) now says: “The long-running failure to manage the programme effectively, along with repeated de-scoping under previous governments, means that the programme will not achieve its original mission and has undermined the remaining delivery.”Through all this, HS2 Ltd has demonstrated “insufficient capability and capacity in key commercial and technical functions” – according to current CEO Wild.One example quoted by the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander: “Between 2019 and 2023, HS2 Ltd provided initial designs for Euston station, coming in almost £2bn over budget. When asked for a more affordable option, they offered one costing £400m more than the first attempt. The word ‘affordable’ was clearly not part of the HS2 lexicon. “Billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money has been wasted by constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management.”When HS2 finally opens, how much faster will the journey be?The current claim is that the trip from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street will take 45 minutes, compared with 77 minutes at present on the conventional line. Initially, though, trains will run only from Old Oak Common in west London. And, says Wild, the line might open at “slightly reduced running speed”. So let’s call it 50 minutes.HS2 claims: “Our high-speed trains will continue to Manchester, the North West and Scotland using the conventional railway network, cutting journey times.”But the originally planned trip from London to Manchester of 67 minutes – almost halving the current journey time – will be much longer. With the new line northwest to Crewe and Manchester scrapped, the final section of HS2 will be a link running north from Birmingham to Handsacre Junction, where it will join the existing and heavily congested West Coast main line.Is there any hope for the northern section?A lower-cost, “quite high speed” link from Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester could provide some connectivity. The transport guru Thomas Ableman says: “The purpose of HS2 is an investment to transform the economics of this country. At the moment, Britain is one of the most unequal countries when it comes to productivity: London, incredibly high; cities of the North, some of the lowest in Europe.“This is about equalising that and it’s absolutely the right thing to do. Does that mean it needs to be a 200mph or 225mph railway? Almost certainly not. Putting in place the capacity to make that transformational change possible is far more important than the precise specification that was developed for the original HS2 project.“Quite frankly, HS2 has become something of a toxic term. A more conventional railway that provides the connectivity, provides the capacity could be exactly the way of unlocking what would otherwise be a very knotty political problem.” More

As Brits grapple with the post-Brexit reality of restricted EU access, many Independent readers have been sharing why they’ve pursued second citizenship – and how it’s reshaped their identity, freedom, and sense of belonging.Jessica Furseth’s article struck a chord with those determined to reclaim their right to freedom of movement through ancestral ties, even if it meant wrestling with red tape. Her piece captured the reality of a growing trend: UK-born citizens pursuing second passports not for novelty, but necessity, reestablishing the rights they feel were stripped away by Brexit.Our readers described frantic searches through family records, cross-border paperwork marathons, and bittersweet awakenings to long-dormant heritage. Irish citizenship was the most popular route, but many also explored their Polish, German and Italian heritage. While a few wrestled with feelings of imposter syndrome, most said the outcome was worth it – not just for smoother holidays or easier work permits, but to feel connected to Europe again.The overarching view was that Brexit took something personal – and that this wave of passport reclamation isn’t just administrative – it’s emotional: about agency, identity, and quietly defying the walls that went up.Here’s what you had to say:Jus sanguinisHusband asserted his right to Italian citizenship on the basis of jus sanguinis, or bloodline, unbroken through his mother’s family. Took about two weeks after getting a codicil on his birth certificate, as a result of which my daughter has done the same (found herself frozen out of jobs otherwise) and my son should have got around to it, having studied in Italy for six years. I will be applying on the grounds of marriage, only slightly more complicated. All of this became an issue solely because of Brexit, and I’m so annoyed that the doors have been slammed in the faces of Britons who valued EU membership.MonteRosaHave you pursued a dual citizenship post-Brexit? Share your story in the commentsWonderful to still have my European citizenshipAs someone who, years after his hair became grey, became truly interested in his Irish heritage, I can only say it’s wonderful to still have my European citizenship. I can see my daughter in Holland as I please – no 90 days nonsense. I can cross any Schengen border as a true European citizen. This, as we go, for example, as a family to the Christmas fair in Oldenburg (Germany).But as we pass Mr Farage and his German-speaking family doing their Christmas shopping in Germany too, it’s good to know that more people have found this loophole!BradIt feels good to say I’m IrishI can relate to Tom Harrison. My father told me many years ago that I could claim Irish citizenship because his father was Irish, but I never saw the need. But post-Brexit, I wanted to remain an EU citizen, so I went for it, and it’s a much simpler task now with the advent of the internet. Despite visiting family and friends and having many holidays in Ireland over the years, I do feel a bit of a fraud. That said, I am immensely grateful to the Irish government for allowing it. I sometimes feel a little uncomfortable telling people that I’m British, but it feels good to be able to say that I’m Irish.BionicpantsTravel is what the EU is aboutThese people are pro-EU for the right reasons: the freedom to travel, work and live all over Europe. That is what the EU is about, the Ever Closer Union. You may notice, they don’t mention the nice side effects, like frictionless trade, no additional roaming, or certain subsidies. They embrace the Euro and the Schengen area.Should the UK want to join, they have to embrace the principles of the Ever Closer Union as well. It helps if you focus on what that means, instead of repeating the economic benefits. As said, those are just nice side effects.OrvalCan we please have Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Grealish back?As an Irish person, it’s very satisfying to hear these stories of people with Irish heritage benefiting from getting an Irish passport. Can we please have Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Grealish back as a sign of appreciation? All very pleasant chaps too from what I can see.AnonyMousseMy mother is an immigrant from an EU country, and I got an EU passport about three years ago, as a result.Interestingly, I went to Spain recently, and when spotted with my EU passport getting off a flight from Britain, they ushered me and my friend (with her British passport) through EU passport control. She went via the EU fast lane because she was with me.PrenstSwitch nationality mid-flightAfter having lived in the UK for 18 years, Brexit made it necessary for me to apply for naturalisation as a British citizen. When I now travel to my native Germany, I have to leave the UK on my British passport and arrive in Frankfurt on my German passport. As per German law, I have to use my German ID to enter/leave Germany. I could, of course, enter any other EU country on my British passport, but this would mean queuing and getting an entry stamp and then an exit stamp. When returning to the UK, I then ‘switch’ nationality again in mid-flight from being a German in the EU to being a Brit in the UK.On one occasion, I flew from Tenerife to London… as a German from Tenerife to Madrid and as Brit from Madrid to London.Baldrick’s PlanLegal technicalitiesMy mother is a French citizen, as is all her side of the family, with French government certificates back to the 14th century, but I am refused citizenship (despite also living and paying taxes in France for eight years). Reason: a legal technicality called desuetude. You may want to do some research before handing over a few grand to the lawyers!Frankx33You can’t complain about being considered a foreignerBritain’s approach to the EU always was a “what can I get in return” one… called it cakeism. What matters is being in the slow lane, no longer being able to live and work, etc. Britain would have loved to retain all EU perks without committing. You can’t complain about being considered as a foreigner while being one and expecting the same rights as EU citizens….EuropeancitizenI don’t know what I would have done with just a UK passportGot my precious Irish passport a couple of years ago, thanks to my grandfather, who was born in Ireland. This has allowed me to move from Italy back to France following retirement without any issues. I don’t know what I would have done with just a UK passport, as there is no mechanism for UK passport holders to move from one EU place of residence to another. Farage, Johnson, Gove, etc, should be imprisoned for the lies they told. I cannot believe that Farage is still so popular, says a lot for the intelligence of a good percentage of the UK population. Very sad. YaketyYakKeep the family in one piece with my Irish passportMy father was born in Ireland in 1916. I was born in England in 1944. He was an RAF pilot. I ended up marrying a German and lived happily in Solingen (which my father’s squadron bombed!) until that swine Farage stirred up his sleazy chauvinism. Thanks to my father, I was able to keep the family in one piece with my Irish passport. I am immensely grateful. And to the Germans, too, who have made me very welcome KenhubertHearteningIt is heartening to read the stories of the people who have been able to reclaim the EU citizenship stripped from them by the disgusting and mendacious Brexiteers, who have yet to apologise to the rest of us for stripping us of our rights. SturlusonNot just the youngIt’s not just young people. Us older folk are also going for dual passports after Brexit cut off our travel freedom. My Irish grandfather has now continued to be very useful after his death!JustMeHereSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More