London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

UK transport secretary says travellers abroad should use ‘common sense’ after govt gets accused of mixed-messaging

UK transport secretary says travellers abroad should use ‘common sense’ after govt gets accused of mixed-messaging

The UK’s senior transportation official has said people should think twice and use common sense before going to amber- and red-listed countries. The opposition earlier said the government's stance on foreign travel was confusing.

“We’ve moved away from a situation where everything is ‘it’s banned, it’s illegal’, I know we’ve got very used to this in the last year,” Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps told Sky News on Thursday.

“We’re moving away from that and asking people to apply a bit of common sense,” Shapps added.

The scheme, which came into effect this month, has since divided countries into three groups, based on how well they manage the spread of coronavirus, and on their vaccination efforts. Upon returning from the countries on the ‘green list,’ which includes Israel, Australia and New Zealand, UK citizens must take a Covid-19 test.

The much longer ‘amber list’ includes UK’s neighbours France and Germany, popular tourist spots Spain, Italy and Greece, as well as states like the US and Canada. After returning from these countries, travellers must take two Covid-19 tests and self-isolate at home for 10 days.

People coming back from any ‘red-list’ countries are required to get tested and be quarantined under supervision inside a hotel. The red list mostly includes countries in Africa, Asia and South America.

Shapps explained that every country automatically lands in the amber list until the government-run Joint Biosecurity Centre advises to move it to the green or red list.

"The default is amber. But amber is not ‘please, go and visit there’. There’s a lot of cost and hassle and quarantine required when you go to these countries. And it is being very strictly enforced."


There was some confusion this week after Environment Secretary George Eustice told reporters that people could go to amber-listed countries “if they feel the need” to visit family and friends, as long as they follow the quarantine rules when returning. Welsh Home Secretary Simon Hart said “a lot of people” will equate holidays with essential travel.

This prompted Labour Party leader Keir Starmer to accuse the government of having “lost control of the messaging.”

Responding to Starmer’s criticism, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that people should not go to amber-listed countries “except for some extreme circumstance,” like a serious illness of a family member. The PM said the government was “trying to move away from endlessly legislating everything” and was more relying on ordinary people acting responsibly.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock also said it was “crystal clear” that people should not go to amber- and red-listed countries on holidays.

The head of EasyJet airline, Johan Lundgren, slammed the government’s stance on foreign travel as “very confusing” and said that it was “absolutely legal to travel to amber-list countries.” He noted that the travel ban had ended on Monday, and the color-coded scheme was designed to allow people to go overseas again.

“There was no indication [passengers] shouldn’t travel to these countries, because that’s what the restriction was supposed to do,” Lundgren said, adding that the new scheme was meant to “make sure you could do this in a safe way.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×