UK aviation ‘thrown under bus’, says MP
Labour’s Spellar berates Patel for passenger quarantine plan
HOME Secretary Priti Patel was accused of throwing the British aviation industry “under the bus” after she confirmed plans to force people arriving in the UK to go into quarantine for 14 days.
Black Country Labour MP John Spellar said she was putting up a sign saying “Britain is closed”.
His comments, in the House of Commons, led the Home Secretary to complain that he was “angry”.
She said: “I find his tone somewhat objectionable”.
The Government’s plan to quarantine travellers, including British people returning from trips overseas, has provoked a mixed reaction.
Some opposition MPs say the measure should have been bought in much sooner, but Mr Spellar, MP for Warley, opposed the plan because of the damage it will do to jobs and the economy. He said: “The Home Secretary has just thrown the industry and its workers under the bus, and at the same time put up a massive ‘Britain is closed’ sign.” He asked the Home Secretary to ensure the Government’s furlough scheme is extended “try to avert hundreds of thousands of workers being thrown on the dole in the next few weeks”.
The importance of the aviation industry is illustrated by Birming- ham Airport’s contribution to the regional economy. It generates £1.1 billion per year for the region’s economy and helps support more than 25,000 jobs, with around 8,000 people either employed at the airport or nearby in airport related activities.
The airport has ambitious expansion plans which are set to increase those numbers. But the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown have inflicted huge damage on the industry.
Companies have grounded more than 80 per cent of their fleets, equating to losses of £283 million a week for British Airways, which has already announced plans to sack a quarter of its workforce, and £40 million per week for Easyjet.
Trade union Unite is calling on the Government to provide support including loans to the aviation industry.
Regional officer Peter Coulson said: “Airports are hives of economic activity. Birmingham airport pumps £1.1 billion into the West Midland’s economy, supporting the jobs and livelihoods of scores of workers, from air crew to taxi drivers to shop staff.
“If these jobs go then a huge economic hole will open up in the West Midlands and it could take decades to recover.”
Ms Patel is under pressure from Tory MPs who have warned that the quarantine measures – which are coming into force on Monday – will cause huge damage to the travel and aviation sectors as they recover from the coronavirus outbreak.
But publishing the detailed regulations for England in the House of Commons, she said they were “backed by the science” and were crucial to ensure the gains made in fighting the virus were not lost.
They include fixed penalty notices of £1,000 or prosecution for anyone who breaches their self-isolation requirements.
“We trust the British people – and our visitors – to play their part, to act responsibly and follow the rules to control the spread of coronavirus,” she said.
“But we will not allow a reckless minority to put our recovery at risk – so there will be penalties and enforcement for those who break them.”