Labour will hold a vote during its Opposition Day Debate on
Monday to force the Government to take action on securing our
borders, by introducing a comprehensive hotel quarantine plan to
protect against the risk of new vaccine resistant variants of
Covid-19 being imported into the country.
The motion would seek to extend the hotel quarantine plans laid
out by the Government, beyond the limited “red list” of 30
countries and instead cover all travellers entering the UK.
Labour will accuse the Government’s plans of being “too little,
too late” and say that “limiting restrictions to just a handful
of countries puts at risk the gains being made by the vaccine, by
exposing us to potentially resistant Covid-19 strains,
undermining the huge sacrifices of the British people.”
Labour will make clear that the quarantine restrictions for
general travellers are “woefully inadequate” with just three in
every 100 people who are quarantining being successfully
contacted by the Isolation Assurance Service to check for
quarantine compliance. Statistics show around 21,000 travellers
are still entering the country daily, risking bringing new
vaccine resistant strains with them. The fact that strains
identified in South African and Brazil have now reached the UK,
show current protections are ineffective.
Labour is supporting the vaccination rollout through the “Let’s
Vaccinate Britain” campaign and celebrates the progress being
made to vaccinate people. However, this work risks being
undermined through “gaping holes” as a result of ineffective
border controls.
Labour is clear that a comprehensive hotel quarantine plan is
needed, but additionally outlines that certain exemptions will be
required, including hauliers to ensure that vital supplies can
reach the country.
Labour’s motion will include:
- · Introduce a comprehensive hotel quarantine system for all
arrivals into the UK, securing against the import of new strains
and to maximise the effectiveness of the country’s vaccination
programme.
- · Calls on the Government to publish to Parliament the
scientific evidence on which it has based its limited quarantine
regime on.
- · Announce a sector support package for aviation which is
focused on employment and environmental improvements.
,
Labour’s Shadow Home Secretary, said:
“Yet again on border security Government action is too little,
too late. Limiting restrictions to just a handful of countries
puts at risk the gains being made by the vaccine, by exposing us
to potentially resistant Covid-19 strains, undermining the huge
sacrifices of the British people.
“Labour is calling on the Government to introduce a comprehensive
hotel quarantine system for all travellers, in order to shut down
the gaping holes in the Government’s plans. The plans have no
clear basis in science and fail to recognise that we do not know
where the next strains of the virus will emerge from, until it is
too late.
“The fact that Britain has already imported strains of the virus
identified in South Africa and Brazil, shows that the quarantine
systems in place are woefully inadequate, little wonder when just
three in 100 people who are supposed to be quarantining are
successfully contacted.”
Ends
Notes to editors
· Paul Lincoln, Director General, Border Force, Public Accounts
Committee, 21 January 2021:
“On Monday we had about 21,000 people coming into the country. We
examined about 10,000 of those. A significant number of those
examinations were at Heathrow—bearing in mind there are
exemptions for hauliers—and, combined across the pre-departure
scheme and the fixed penalty notice for a passenger locator form,
we issued in the region of 40 fixed penalty notices.”
· Labour is clear that certain exemptions will be required,
including hauliers to ensure that vital supplies can reach the
country.
