Crisis talks to reopen UK borders with Europe
FARMERS and fishermen in the Westcountry were last night anxiously awaiting the re-opening of the UK’s borders for the export of perishable produce after nations across Europe banned UK freight accompanied by drivers.
Borders were closed to British travellers and freight on lorries after the UK revealed a major problem with a fast-spreading variant of coronavirus in London and the South East.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference: “We are working with our friends across the Channel to unblock the flow of trade as fast as possible.” He said he understood the reaction of European nations.
But the closure of crossChannel routes has alarmed businesses in the lead-up to Christmas, with the added complication of the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
Sainsbury’s warned that disruption could hit supplies of lettuce, some salad leaves, cauliflowers, broccoli and citrus fruit, all of which are imported from the Continent.
Produce heading in the other direction, including from producers in the South West of England, could also be held up.
Mr Johnson insisted at yesterday afternoon’s press conference that vital supplies would still get through and that supermarkets in the UK were holding sufficient stocks of goods from Europe.
He said: “I want to repeat that these delays only apply to a very small percentage of food entering the UK, and as British supermarkets have said, their supply chains are strong and robust.”
MORE than half a million people in the UK have been vaccinated against Covid-19, Boris Johnson said, as he moved to soothe concerns the country risked being effectively cut off from parts of Europe and beyond following the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus.
The Prime Minister said the Government took “prompt and decisive” action when the mutant variant was discovered in the UK on Friday, resulting in the creation of strict Tier 4 restrictions that have taken a scythe to Christmas plans for millions.
He said more than half a million people in the UK have now received their first dose of the two-part vaccination since British grandmother Margaret Keenan became the first patient in the world on December 8 to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 jab following its clinical approval.
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference last night, after talks involving members of the Cobra emergency committee to prevent the UK being cut off from the continent in the days before Christmas, Mr Johnson said discussions were taking place to “unblock the flow of trade as fast as possible”.
Responding to France closing its border with the UK for 48 hours, he said: “It was an excellent conversation with the French President [Emmanuel Macron]. He stressed he was keen, I would say, to sort it out in the next few hours, if we can. Our teams will be working on it flat out – if we can get a result, then that would be great.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps urged people not to travel to Kent amid the closure of the French border. He told the press conference: “Please don’t travel to Kent. Most people should be staying at home, everybody in Tier Four must at stay home and in Tier Three stay very local.”
Referring to the vaccine, Mr Johnson said: “I can today announce that over half a million people, more than 500,000 people in the UK, have now received their first dose.”
The Prime Minister said the “vast bulk” of the initial 500,000 doses had gone to people aged over 80 and those who were clinically vulnerable, but Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government’s chief scientific adviser, warned the new variant was “spread around the country”, and urged people to “stay local”. He told the Downing Street press conference: “People should not be travelling around the country at the moment.”
The closure of cross-Channel routes overnight alarmed businesses, including those relying on the trouble-free passage of produce into the UK, as well as holidaymakers looking to leave for the continent.
Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s warned that transport disruption in Kent, where more than 170 lorries remain backed up on roads around the Port of Dover, could hit supplies of food imported from mainland Europe during the winter.