MP Sarah Olney, the party’s transport spokesperson, has written to transport secretary Grant Shapps pleading for “targeted” financial support for travel, including the reintroduction of furlough payments for the sector from this month through to March 2022.
“I am urging the government to consider carefully how it wants to treat British businesses in the travel sector,” said Olney. “They have endured a devastating pandemic and are in desperate need of assistance if they are to remain competitive in the coming months.”
She also called for grants to be made available for the sector, as well as extra business rates relief for travel businesses.
The MP urged Shapps to introduce “greater transparency” on why countries are added to the red list as a way of improving consumer confidence about international travel.
“This is an issue they have now raised on numerous occasions and is stripping away any confidence potential customers have in booking holidays in advance,” added Olney.
“It has led many firms to seriously question their long-term prospects, particularly as they find themselves increasingly unable to compete with their European counterparts, many of whom have far more lenient systems in place.”
She said that France only currently had 17 countries on its red list, compared with 54 on the UK’s own list.
Olney added the Lib Dems wanted a “firm commitment” from Shapps that the shift from PCR to lateral flow tests when returning to the UK will come into effect before half-term at the end of this month.
“Given the extortionate prices being charged, this could prove pivotal in the decision-making of families up and down the country who are contemplating going away this month,” she said.
The government has so far said it is “aiming” to have this change to the day two testing requirements in place by half-term.
