Testing for arrivals from China ‘aimed at pressuring Beijing’

RISHI SUNAK’S decision to require negative Covid tests from arrivals from China is political rather than medical, sources claim.

The Prime Minister’s change in stance on testing – after it was previously ruled out – is designed to send a signal to Beijing, they say.

There are major concerns about the reliability of the Covid data coming out of China, and there are fears that this could hamper efforts to identify new variants of concern.

But Government sources said the decision was primarily political after the UK’s allies announced that they would impose restrictions on the country.

Scientific advisers have said that compulsory testing of arrivals from China will not make a major difference to the UK and have said that it is not a priority.

With high rates of immunity due to the wide rollout of vaccines and previous infections, and small numbers likely to arrive from the country, epidemiologists do not have huge concerns.

But the UK opted to stand with its allies against China in a bid to force the country to provide reliable data.

It came as some Tory MPs fired a warning shot across the Government’s bows with the aim of avoiding the ‘slippery slope’ of returning to wider Covid restrictions in this country.

Former Brexit Minister and lockdown critic David Jones told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The measures announced on Friday for travellers from China are sensible and prudent.

‘But we must be careful that they do not lead to a slippery slope of the return of wider Covid restrictions for people in this country.

‘After what we put up with over the past three years, I am sure the nation would simply not stand for it.’

However, Steve Brine, Tory chairman of the Commons’ Health Committee, dismissed fears that the new measures could be a prelude to returning to restrictions within the UK.

He told the BBC: ‘This is not about reintroducing domestic restrictions. We have a largely successfully-vaccinated population. We have long ago learned to live with Covid.

‘There is no creep here.’