Labour recorded a decisive victory in Thursday’s election (4 July) claiming nearly two-thirds of the 650 seats in the House of Commons; by contrast, the Conservative Party lost its grip on power after 14 years, taking only around 120 seats – a loss of around 250 with, at 8.30am on Friday (6 July), six seats still to declare.

The Liberal Democrats enjoyed their best result for a century after claiming more than 70 seats, while in Scotland, the Scottish National Party vote collapsed allowing Labour to make significant headway.

Reform UK took four seats, far fewer than the 13 forecast, as did the Green Party, which quadrupled its presence in the Commons as a result. There were gains too in Wales for Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru.

Transport secretary Mark Harper lost his seat, as did his predecessor Grant Shapps, who was transport secretary during the pandemic. Tourism minister Julia Lopez retained her seat.

"We look forward to working with the new Government on the priorities for the travel industry and our members," said Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer, who insisted Abta was "in a very strong place" to engage with the new government, MPs and officials.

"We’ve already put in a lot of work with parliamentary candidates across the political spectrum, which means we can hit the ground running in engaging them in the issues that matter to our members and the wider industry.

"We’ll be contacting newly appointed ministers over the coming days to remind them of the huge value of the outbound travel industry to the UK economy, contributing £49 billion a year and supporting 843,000 jobs, and to raise our policy priorities within their direct portfolios."

‘Time is of the essence’

Tanzer, though, said there was a need for "urgent action" to help travel achieve its sustainability goals, particularly the aviation sector. "There is a plan for aviation to reach net zero, but it can’t be achieved without government support and action, and time is of the essence on this issue," said Tanzer.

"It’s also important that policy changes are delivered in a way that protects the vast benefits that travel and tourism brings, both here at home and in communities around the world."

Abta chief executive Tanzer added its was also vital travel reminded the new Labour administration of the ongoing challenges facing travel businesses of all sizes. These, he said, include the cost of living crisis and squeeze on consumer spending, and the Covid debts many travel businesses are still servicing.

He added Labour must seize opportunities to support the sector, such as by striking a youth mobility deal with the EU, reforming business rates and incentivising high street trading.

"In the early months of this new parliament and government, Abta will be actively engaging MPs and ministers on a wide range of policies, as outlined in our Manifesto for Travel and Tourism," Tanzer continued.

“We’ll also be speaking with members to encourage businesses to get involved with our efforts. Watch this space for more on activities the industry can get behind in the coming weeks.”

Dedicated minister

Travel Network Group chief executive Gary Lewis said the consortium looked forward to working with the new government to support the travel industry’s growth and its sustainability mission.

"We will be urging the government to establish a dedicated minister of tourism to provide focused leadership and strategic oversight for our industry," said Lewis. "Additionally, we will be advocating for more stringent regulations on airports to build better resilience to stop needless disruption."

Lewis added: "The government needs to address the cost of living crisis, and we hope for policies that will drive growth and make travel more accessible to all. Such measures will ensure that the travel sector remains competitive and resilient."

Advantage Travel Partnership chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “The election results provide the UK Outbound Travel group with an opportunity for the new government to recognise the benefits and impact of the outbound travel sector more than it has been previously recognised and we are looking forward to building on the meetings we have had to date with the new Labour team.

"As a group, we will now continue with the success of our UK MP engagement programme, inviting local MPs visiting our members up and down the country, and engaging with the Labour government on behalf of the outbound travel sector and our combined members."

Scottish Passenger Agents’ Association president Jacqueline Dobson said: “We look forward to working with the new intake of MPs to ensure the travel and tourism sector in Scotland receives the recognition and support it deserves.

"Travel and tourism are vital to our nation’s prosperity and wellbeing, and we need a collaborative approach from both the Scottish and UK Governments to create a solid base for a sustainable future.

"Our manifesto for travel outlines the key issues and opportunities for our industry, and we urge the new MPs to engage with us and our members to understand and act on them.

"We won’t just be watching, we’ll be actively approaching MPs to bring the voice of travel to you."