France could soon be added to the red list of countries from which most travel to the UK is banned, Boris Johnson has suggested.
The Prime Minister said restrictions on hauliers would have a big impact because of the extent to which the UK is reliant on imports.
But if necessary he will take a decision, ‘no matter how tough’ it has to be.
‘We now, in all seriousness, need to look at the situation at the Channel,’ he told the liaisons committee.
‘l’m afraid we can’t rule out tougher measures and we’ll put them in if necessary’.
Some regions of France are reporting relatively high levels of the South African variant, which scientists fear is more resistant to the Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccine.
The PM said a decision could be made ‘very soon’ amid signs of a third wave.
‘We will take a decision no matter how tough to interrupt that trade and to interrupt those flows, if we think that it is necessary to protect public health and to stop new variants coming in and it may be that we have to do that very soon,’ he said.
Foreign travel is still banned under lockdown rules, with a £5,000 fine for anyone caught going on holiday to come into force on Monday.
The Government has previously set May 17 as the earliest date going abroad will be allowed.
Mr Johnson said he’ll be setting out what travel may be possible from May 17 on April 5 but admitted: ‘Things are looking difficult on the Continent and we’ll have to look at the situation as it develops’.
Earlier Labour called on Mr Johnson to add France to the red list, meaning arrivals would have to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.
Ministers are said to be mulling over plans to toughen up border measures for hauliers from France by making them take Covid tests before entering.
But shadow immigration minister Holly Lynch said the Government needs to go further.
‘The UK government is recklessly putting at risk progress being made by the vaccine by refusing to take action to secure our borders against Covid,’ she said.
‘The fact that they will not even add France to their own limited red list shows they continue to fail to understand the consequences of doing too little, too late.’
New variants from abroad are seen as the biggest threat to the UK’s roadmap out of lockdown.
Parts of France, Italy and Poland have introduced new restrictions this week, while Germany has said it’s third wave has started.
Boris Johnson warned today that Covid infections currently sweeping through Europe will hit the UK ‘in due course’.
Only 36 countries with links to worrying variants are on the red-list, including South Africa and most of South America.
No countries in Europe are currently on the list.
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