TSSA warning Brexit leaves travel trade ‘out in the cold'

TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has warned that the impact of Brexit is leaving Britain’s travel trade "out in the cold" with the future of the industry under threat.

The comments come in the light of the report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which said it ‘was clear’ that leaving the European Union was having an impact, including on travel.

The PAC pointed to potential for disruption this year as more people start travelling again, and passenger volumes at key ports, like Dover, increase as the Covid pandemic subsides.

The MPs also believe there’s a significant risk of more delays when the EU introduces biometric passport controls under its new Entry and Exit System.

Commenting, union leader Cortes said: “This report from the Public Accounts Committee is clear – the deep negative effects of Brexit are leaving our travel trade out in the cold.

“This shoddy Conservative government is a real threat to businesses, and the jobs of people working in our travel trade up and down the land.

"Boris Johnson and his chums do not listen. Time and again they have ignored our members and the wider travel trade, offering no sector specific support during the pandemic. Now we are beginning to see the damage caused by the needless, self-inflicted, wound of Brexit.

“If we are not careful there will be no travel trade to speak of in the future, thanks to the double whammy of Brexit and the pandemic. That will be the terrible legacy of yet more Tory ineptitude.

“Ministers should be clear, our union won’t let jobs be lost, and if they need help coming up with a strategy for travel then they should pick up the phone.”

The full PAC report can be found here - https://bit.ly/34thm3B