Boris Johnson news – live: Travel industry urges PM to end quarantine 'confusion', amid calls for coronavirus inquiry to begin immediately
Follow live updates here
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The travel industry has called on the government to end "confusion" over summer holiday travel plans, after Spain was removed from the UK's quarantine exemption list over the weekend.
Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, described the move as an "error", saying that most areas in Spain currently have a lower incidence of coronavirus than the UK.
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have told Boris Johnson that an inquiry into the government's handling of the pandemic should start immediately, so that lessons can be learned ahead of a possible second wave of the virus.
It came as Britain's oldest independent economic research group urged Rishi Sunak not to end the furlough scheme in October, calculating that doing so will see unemployment rise to 10 per cent this year - a rate not seen since 1993.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research warned the Chancellor's current plans are a "mistake", reasoning that the relatively small cost of extending the job retention scheme may pay for itself by preventing a rise in long-term unemployment.
The researchers cautioned that the UK's economic outlook is "critically" dependent on effective government policy, as a report by MPs on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee warned hundreds of billions of pounds of taxpayers' money could be wasted on "white elephant" infrastructure projects as part of the prime minister's "levelling up" plans.
Hundreds of billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money could be spent on white elephants as part of Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” plans, MPs have warned.
::To view our account of how the day unfolded, please allow a moment for the liveblog to load below::
Boris Johnson announces cycling initiatives
Boris Johnson will try to boost the number of people cycling in the UK by promising cycle lessons and thousands of miles of new bike lanes, writes Kate Devlin.
Active travel will also be encouraged by making bikes available on the NHS and by offering £50 vouchers towards bike repairs.
This comes as the government launched its anti-obesity campaign on Monday.
Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, said this was a “once in a lifetime opportunity to create a shift in attitudes for generations to come”.
Government told to rectify holiday 'confusion'
Holiday firms have told the government to sort out the "confusion" over summer holiday travel plans, after the Balearic and Canary Islands were added to a list of places that should only be visited for essential travel.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) new travel advice is in line with its existing recommendations for mainland Spain, which has seen a surge in new coronavirus infections.
After a surprise announcement by the government on Saturday, travellers returning from Spain must self-isolate for 14 days.
Holiday firm TUI has now cancelled all its holidays to mainland Spain and the Balearic and Canary Islands.
The company said: "The UK Government must work closely with the travel industry as this level of uncertainty and confusion is damaging for business and disappointing for those looking forward to a well-deserved break."
Billions could be wasted on infrastructure projects, MPs warn
Hundreds of billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money could be spent on white elephants as part of Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” plans, MPs have warned.
In a report published on Tuesday, the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee warned that a significant amount of money would be wasted on infrastructure projects unless there was better transparency, coordination and performance tracking.
William Wragg, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee, said that developing these projects “must not become an end in itself”.
Many Tory MPs have concerns over large-scale initiatives such as the much-delayed HS2 Crossrail in London and the HS2 railway.
Government ‘too slow’ to repatriate Brits during pandemic, inquiry finds
A parliamentary inquiry has found that cost cutting was partly responsible for the delay in rescuing Britons stranded abroad by the coronavirus pandemic, writes Andrew Woodcock.
A cross-party committee report described the government’s assistance operation as “too slow”, saying it relied too heavily on people booking their own flights home.
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said some travellers faced a lack of “empathy and compassion” and had to contend with "misleading and outdated" advice.
As part of the inquiry, 1,250 travellers gave their accounts of the repatriation process to the committee.
Government asks for 'sensible and compassionate' approach to those self-isolating
The government has urged employers to implement "sensible steps" to support those who need to self-isolate after returning from travels abroad.
The message comes the day after people returning from Spain had to go into quarantine for 14 days, following the removal of the travel corridor between the UK and Spain over the weekend.
Local government minister Simon Clarke told BBC Breakfast: "We all feel deeply for everyone who's been affected by this.
"We very strongly encourage employers to take a sensible and compassionate approach to people who find themselves in this situation."
He added that those in need would find a "safety net" in the form of the new employment support allowance or Universal Credit.
Spanish PM criticises UK government’s quarantine decision
Pedro Sanchez has described the British government’s move to impose a blanket quarantine on Britons returning from Spain as an “error”.
Speaking to the Spanish television network Telecinco, Spain’s prime minister said the surge in Covid-19 cases in the country is centred on two regions, Catalonia and Aragon.
"In most of Spain, the incidence is very much inferior to even the numbers registered in the United Kingdom,” he added.
Under the new travel regulations, holidaymakers returning to the UK from Spain are required to go into self-isolation for two weeks, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office warning against all but essential travel to the country.
Holidaymakers told to be aware of possible quarantine upon return
People who travel overseas should do so in the knowledge they may be asked to go into quarantine upon their return to the UK, ministers have said.
Simon Clarke, the local government minister, said that the government had to act to prevent the risk of coronavirus cases being brought into the country from abroad.
"By all means go on holiday, but understand that there is a chance that you might be asked to self-isolate on your return," he said.
His comments follow the government's announcement on Saturday that tourists returning from Spain would have to self-isolate for 14 days.
The abrupt move led to complaints from tourists and travel firms alike, who expressed their disappointment at the decision.
Majority of Britons do not trust government’s coronavirus advice
A new poll has suggested that more than half of the UK does not trust the government’s coronavirus advice during its relaxation of lockdown, writes Peter Stubley.
The joint survey by King’s College London and Ipsos Mori discovered that 52 per cent of people aged between 16 and 75 were sceptical about the advice.
The poll also showed that 42 per cent of those surveyed believed Boris Johnson’s government had handled the coronavirus badly, while 36 per cent thought they had handled it well.
Government ‘dragging feet’ on anti-racism strategy, says EHRC boss
The government is failing to take action against racism and is instead dragging its feet” on the issue, according to the head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
David Isaac, who will leave his role next week, told the BBC that the government was failing to treat the problem as a top priority.
“I do believe the government is dragging its feet. They seek to understand it [racism] but are they taking action and is this a top priority? I don’t believe so,” Mr Isaac said.
After saying that the time for recommendations was over, he added: “A coherent race strategy is a top priority and I call upon the government to act urgently.”
My colleague Adam Forrest has more on the story here:
Bike repairs voucher scheme to be launched just before midnight
The government’s delayed bike repairs scheme will start shortly before midnight on Tuesday, allowing people in England with an unused bike to get £50 off a service.
The £25 million initiative, which will give up to half a million vouchers away, aims to “drag bikes out of retirement” to encourage an alternative to cars and public transport.
Customers can register their details on the Department of Transport website, with vouchers available from 11.45 pm on Tuesday.
The scheme was originally supposed to be launched in June.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments