The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 14 January 2021.
Nearly a year has passed since the Government promised proper support for aviation to help businesses through the pandemic. Ministers’ incompetence and failure to act is costing jobs.
Labour has repeatedly called for a sectoral deal that supports the whole aviation industry, including securing jobs and protecting the supply chain, while continuing to press for higher environmental standards.
The statement made by Robert Courts, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, in the House of Commons on 11 January 2021.
Last week the Prime Minister announced that the Government had made the difficult but necessary decision to introduce a new national lockdown.
Both globally and domestically we are seeing significant increases in levels of coronavirus, including the emergence of worrying new strains. It is therefore imperative that we ensure we are doing all we can to protect travel, reduce the risk of imported infections, including from new variants, and protect our NHS while national lockdown and vaccinations take effect.
We already have strong safeguards in place, including a requirement for mandatory 10-day self-isolation for the vast majority of arrivals, and our travel corridors system remains critical in managing the risk of imported cases from high-risk countries. We also successfully launched the test to release scheme last month which provides passengers with the option to reduce self-isolation, through isolating for five days after they have left a destination not on the travel corridors list and then taking a test. Pre-departure testing does not remove the public health need for international arrivals travelling from non-exempt countries to isolate for 10 days or opt into test to release.
However, as a result of increasing instances of covid-19 around the world, including the emergence of new variants, we are now taking additional steps to add a further layer of protection to safeguard public health.
From 4 am on 15 January we will be introducing pre-departure testing requirements for all inbound passengers to England. Passengers arriving by ship, plane or train will have to take a test up to three days before departure and provide evidence of a negative result before they travel.
This will be an additional requirement that applies to all passengers, including those travelling from a travel corridor country, other than those on a very short list of exemptions. This extra layer of protection is in addition to existing self-isolation requirements.
We will establish the standards that tests must meet in regulations. This will include that the test must be of a diagnostic-standard test such as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and could in some cases include LAMP and lateral flow tests within set limits. We will provide clear guidance and advice to passengers regarding testing standards and capacity.
Guidance will be available to passengers and carriers on what to look for to assure tests and the results provided meet the standards required.
We will keep test standards and innovative testing technologies under review.
In addition, we will also set out the information passengers will need to have with them at check-in and the UK border to show they have had a qualifying negative test. This will include set data fields which test result certificates must include. All information on test requirements will be made available to passengers and transport operators through guidance on gov.uk.
The current advice for those across the UK remains that you must stay at home and not travel abroad unless it is for a permitted exempt reason. The requirements apply equally to visitors from other states and British nationals, and carriers may deny boarding if passengers are not in receipt of a qualifying negative test. British nationals that need consular assistance should contact the nearest consulate, embassy or high commission.
If British nationals test positive for covid-19 while abroad they should not travel and should follow the local relevant guidance on self-isolation.
Transport operators will be required to check that a passenger has proof of a negative test result before they board their flight, train or ferry, and may deny boarding where appropriate to reduce numbers of non-compliant individuals arriving in England. Border Force will also conduct further checks upon arrival.
If a passenger arrives in England without a pre-departure negative test result they will be fined. We will amend the international travel regulations so that fines, starting at £500, can be levied on non-compliant passengers. Operators will also be fined for transporting non-compliant passengers.
Passengers travelling to England from the common travel area (the United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey), will not be in scope of the regulations.
Children under the age of 11 will also not be required to complete pre-departure testing.
There will be a very restricted number of exemptions, including hauliers to allow the free flow of freight, and air, international rail and maritime crew.
Certain limited reasonable excuses for not undergoing testing will also be permitted, for example, lack of testing infrastructure in the departure country. This will apply to three overseas territories—St Helena, Ascension Island and the Falklands.
Arrivals from three additional countries will be considered to have a reasonable excuse not to comply due to lack of testing infrastructure. However, for these countries this will only apply for a specific, time limited window. This includes:
Antigua and Barbuda—until Thursday 21 January 04.00
St Lucia—until Thursday 21 January 04.00
Barbados—until Thursday 21 January 04.00
If passengers are arriving from one of the above three countries after the time limited window has ended, they will be required to meet all pre-departure testing requirements.
Further details on exemptions and reasonable excuses will be set out in regulations and in guidance. We will keep exemptions and reasonable excuses under regular review.
We will be making detailed guidance available to both passengers and transport operators to support the implementation of these changes.
Measures are likely to be in place until the end of the current lockdown, although a review will take place before the end of that period.
The Government recognise the continued challenges that the pandemic poses, both for individuals and for businesses.
We have worked closely with the international travel sector during the course of the pandemic and will continue to do so as we emerge from lockdown and are able to encourage people to travel again with confidence. We are also continuing to implement recommendations set out in the global travel taskforce report to support the safe recovery of international travel.
The delivery of a safe, effective vaccine is also the best way to protect the most vulnerable, save thousands of lives and support the removal of many of the restrictions and return to international travel. We are already making great progress, including having currently vaccinated more people than the rest of Europe combined.
In the immediate term our priority has to be on safeguarding public health and the NHS. With the addition of pre-departure testing requirements, our already robust system to protect against imported cases of coronavirus is further strengthened and will provide the greatest overall protection against the risk of transmission during travel to England and after arrival.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 8 January 2021.
The Government promised it had a plan to make sure things ran smoothly for businesses and hauliers post-Brexit.
It’s clear the problems caused by its poor preparation and delaying tactics have not gone away. Ministers have to get a grip on this and make sure essential workers are actually able to do their jobs, or we risk seeing a repeat of the chaos on our roads at Christmas.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 5 January 2021.
The Government must ensure that transport services are being run in such a way that the essential workers using them, as well as staff, are kept safe.
The bailout of the rail industry is expected to exceed £9bn and ministers cannot continue to shift the financial burden onto the taxpayer while guaranteeing private companies’ profits.
The Government needs to come up with a long-term plan to ensure the industry can recover, while providing value for money for those who rely on it.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 1 January 2021.
This piecemeal approach from the Government appears to do very little to protect the rights of workers, who have suffered as a result of opportunistic fire and rehire policies, and leaves the taxpayer to shoulder most of the risk.
It’s time for the Chancellor to deliver on the full package of support he promised the aviation sector months ago.
The comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 21 December 2020.
It is imperative that we all follow the new measures and play our part in tackling this virus, protecting others and safeguarding our NHS.
If you booked a coach or rail journey between 23 and 27 December, you are entitled to a cash refund. This ensures no one is left out of pocket for doing the right thing – staying home in tier 4, and elsewhere staying local and only meeting your Christmas bubble on Christmas day.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 20 December 2020.
The chaotic scenes at train stations came hours after the Prime Minister ducked the question of whether people should travel.
Weeks ago, Labour proposed a plan to make public transport safe before Christmas. The Government ignored it.
The Prime Minister’s dither, delay and lack of clear guidance mean we have – yet again – failed to control the spread of the virus.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 16 December 2020.
By allowing yet another fare hike, the government will make rail travel unaffordable for many and discourage people from getting back on to the network when restrictions ease.
The government’s failure means Britain is facing the worst recession of any major economy. This will be yet another kick in the teeth for families struggling to get by.
The comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 12 December 2020.
We’ve already set out important measures so journeys can run as smoothly as possible this Christmas. Today’s funding announcement for the coach sector goes one step further, ensuring there are more options available for people wanting to travel to celebrate with loved ones and friends.
We remind everyone that it’s essential to plan their journey and book ahead, be considerate of other passengers and staff across our transport network, and follow the guidance, including keeping space and wearing a face covering, unless exempt, on public transport.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 7 December 2020.
What message does the Government feel it is sending, at a time when following Covid rules is critical, when there are one set of rules for those it considers ‘high-value’ and another for everyone else?
If the Government is serious about supporting businesses and saving jobs, it must set out a proper plan to support everyone through this crisis. Labour has been clear we must protect jobs in every part of the country and rebuild business with a support package that reflects the level of need and severity of restrictions in different areas.