London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

UK government in talks over expanding Covid travel 'red list'

UK government in talks over expanding Covid travel 'red list'

Ministers under growing pressure to prevent variants undermining vaccine programme

Discussions are under way in Whitehall about expanding the travel “red list” of countries as ministers face mounting pressure to prevent coronavirus variants undermining the vaccine programme.

The Guardian understands that officials met on Friday to consider the case for taking a tougher approach. British residents and nationals returning from countries on the red list must quarantine in an airport hotel for 10 days at a cost of £1,750, while other arrivals are banned. It remains illegal to go on holiday.

Ministers are expected to take a decision next week against the backdrop of rising Covid cases across parts of Europe. In the UK, the case rate per 100,000 people for the past two weeks is 114, according to data published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The same rates are far higher in large parts of the continent, with Poland on 716, France on 562 and Italy on 517.

From Sunday, anyone travelling from France to Germany will have to submit a negative test and go into 10 days’ quarantine.

One insider said: “It’s getting to the point where it’s not really sustainable to not respond to that.” They suggested there could be “quite a few additions” to the red list – which currently includes 35 countries including Brazil and the UAE – and that the threat of variants being imported and then being spread by community transmission was “definitely part of the thinking”.


“It’s very different to last summer when it was just about cases,” they said. “We can’t have variants coming in that could potentially affect the vaccine rollout.”

Official data published by the UK government on Thursday showed 412 cases of the variant first identified in South Africa had been found in the UK so far. This is the variant causing most anxiety among ministers because some studies have suggested it may be partially resistant to vaccines.

A Department of Health and Social Care source said: “We’re keeping a very close eye on it … it is of concern, and that needs to be fed into all the other elements that need to be considered when you’re looking at the red list.”

Other government sources played down the likelihood of changes to the red list, however, stressing in particular that close trade ties across the Channel would make a crackdown on France very difficult. Ministers are expected to announce increased testing of freight drivers arriving from France in the coming days in an attempt to reduce the risk of variants arriving by that route.

Earlier this week Boris Johnson was pressed by the Labour MP Yvette Cooper on why tougher measures had not been taken to prevent the South African variant arriving. He said adding France to the red list was “something that we will have to look at” but underlined the difficulties of doing so.

Government experts are confident that so far there is no widespread community transmission of the South African variant, with most cases traced back to travel. But concerns have intensified ahead of the next stage of the easing of Covid restrictions in England, which from Monday will allow more outdoor mixing and could let mutations spread more rapidly if they do take hold.

At the beginning of March, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, resisted calls to add more countries to the red list despite news that the Brazil variant, which is believed to be more infectious, had been found in 15 more countries. At the time, he said that was because the proportion of variants of concern found in those countries relative to total cases was “exceptionally low”.

But Johnson said this week that “on the continent right now you can see sadly there is a third wave under way”, and government figures are deliberating how to avoid it hitting UK shores.

Ministers face a series of key decisions in the coming weeks on issues that were set aside when the roadmap was published – including whether holiday travel abroad can resume in the summer, from 17 May at the earliest.

A global travel taskforce chaired by the transport secretary Grant Shapps is due to publish its first report on 5 April. Government sources say it is likely to set the framework for a resumption of some travel but may not yet set specific dates.

One option is a three-tier traffic light system, segregating countries according to how prevalent Covid is and whether they have a vaccination certification system.

A separate review chaired by the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, is considering how the UK can introduce its own Covid certification system, which could be used to facilitate travel but also to control entry to venues such as pubs and sports stadiums.

Hancock and Gove are both more cautious about reopening the borders in summer, according to colleagues, with the health secretary arguing that the tougher the UK’s travel restrictions are, the more relaxed the rules can be at home. “We need to think very carefully about it,” said an ally of Gove.

A Downing Street source stressed that it remained illegal to go on holiday and as a result travel flows were still well below normal, and all arrivals had to show evidence of a negative test and must self-isolate.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×