Category: Transportation

The letter written by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, to Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, on 9 July 2021.

Dear Grant,

I am writing to you after your media appearances this morning, when you spoke of the challenges passengers would face going aboard this summer.

On BBC Breakfast, you said:

“The real backlog will be from the place you’re coming from” and that “People should expect more disruption than usual”

While it’s right to manage expectations, Government ministers are not merely commentators on the situation – they are empowered to seek to address problems they foresee.

The unlock date is still 10 days away. Ministers should be actively working with the industry and major UK tourist destination airports to create a process that is both safe, appropriate but also workable.

So can I ask you whether you have met or spoken with every airline that flies into the UK from a Green or Amber list country, to talk them through the new processes and ensure that their staff will know how operate this new system as speedily as possible?

Is the Government confident that all airlines flying from these destinations can read the UK’s NHS app and understand when to allow a traveller on board or when not to? Would these challenges not highlight the need for an international vaccine passport, or at least international agreement on how a Covid passport might work?

As I asked you yesterday, whilst we have our own Covid passport via the NHS app there have been issues with other countries accepting this as sufficient proof entering into those countries. Do you know how many countries now accept the Covid passport of the NHS app as proof of someone’s Covid or vaccine status?

Finally, you noted in your BBC interview that more UK Border Force staff will be stationed at UK airports to deal with the expecting increase in traveller numbers. How many more officers will there be and what is your target time for how long will a traveller should expect to have to wait to go through a major UK airport such as Heathrow?

Yours sincerely,

Jim

The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 29 June 2021.

We can’t have one rule for senior executives and another for everyone else, so the data behind this decision must be published urgently, especially as the Conservatives have failed to protect our borders against the Delta variant.

We have always said there is a need for some limited exemptions for workers and have repeatedly called on the Government to publish the criteria behind these.

The best way to support the UK’s economy is to get a grip on the new variant, roll out the vaccine and support businesses in struggling sectors hardest hit by the roadmap delay including the aviation sector.

The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 29 June 2021.

Ministers had a real chance to make train travel a more realistic and affordable option for families who have already been hit hard in the pocket and are struggling to make ends meet after struggling through the pandemic.

It is staggering that they are now lauding a scheme which in fact makes it more expensive for many people and hoping nobody notices.

This failure will discourage people from getting back on to the network when restrictions ease, which will be vital for getting the sector on a stable footing.

The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 21 June 2021.

Warm words and vague promises, the likes of which we have seen from the Prime Minister during recent by-election campaigns, are simply not good enough. Labour will not stand by while cities like Bradford – among those set to benefit most from vital infrastructure upgrades – risk being stifled by this government’s failure to keep its side of the bargain.

Our party is clear – Northern Powerhouse Rail should be built. Estimates predict it will connect millions more people and thousands of businesses and help tackle our imbalanced economy.