Theresa May has led Tory demands for the government to introduce coronavirus testing at airports to cut quarantine and boost the travel industry.
The former prime minister criticised the government for the second time in as many days as she warned the UK was “lagging behind” and “dragging its feet” as air passenger numbers fall dramatically and threaten jobs.
She was backed by former transport secretary Chris Grayling, Commons transport committee chair Huw Merriman, and backbencher Andy Carter, who told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast that airport testing would be “another weapon in our armoury”.
The government has so far resisted introducing airport testing and has faced criticism for imposing requirements for travellers coming from certain European countries to quarantine for 14 days.
May, whose Maidenhead constituency is near Heathrow, said passenger numbers had fallen 82% at the airport, while cargo had fallen 35%.
“It is reckoned that for every 1,000 passengers, one job is created,” she told a Commons debate on aviation.
“The fewer passengers, the fewer jobs.”
The ex-PM went on: “Sadly, there are those who say that if you want to promote testing and therefore reduce quarantine and increase the number of flights, you’re putting public health at risk and putting the economy first.
“This is not an either-or situation. It is about assessing the proportionate risks. It’s about mitigating the risk of people coming into the UK with the virus, while at the same time reducing the risk of a damaging impact on the economy.”
She added: “I’m certain that testing has to be the way forward in the foreseeable future, but at the moment airports aren’t even permitted to trial tests on passengers.
“I think this is an incredibly important point – far from leading the world, the UK is lagging behind.
“So my message is to No.10, it’s to BEIS (the business department), it’s to the Treasury and it’s to the Department of Health and it’s a very simple one – if you want to get the economy moving, get planes flying again. If you want to get planes flying again, give our airports permission to trial tests.
“Stop the UK dragging its feet, let’s lead the world and set the standard to restore world travel and world trade.”
Grayling called for trials on popular travel routes, telling the government “we have got to do this and we have got to do it now”.
“There is absolutely no reason why a regime of trial testing could not be introduced in a few days in this country, why the results could not be carefully monitored on selected routes to give us a blueprint to take things forwards,” he said.
Merriman outlined the “absolute collapse” in demand carriers have faced due to the pandemic and called for an extension of furlough for aviation.
“Numbers are down compared to April last year by 97%. Just to put that in focus that’s 5,800 flights whereas we previously had 201,000 – it has been an absolute collapse.
“I think that justifies a sector-specific deal for aviation. I would like to see an extension of furlough for aviation.
“I would like to see a cut completely of air passenger duty for a period of time – easyJet say that would allow 60% of national flights to continue if there was such a cut.
“And I would like to see the business rate cessation in the same way that the Scottish government has brought forward.”
Carter meanwhile told Commons People that Manchester airport, near his Warrington South constituency, was running at 17% capacity but more “frequent, immediate testing” will boost consumer confidence and drive that figure up.
“This isn’t the thing that is going to solve everybody’s problems but it could cut quarantine periods down significantly and it’s another weapon in our armoury to try and tackle this virus,” he said.
“So yeah I do think we need to look much more closely at this.”