Politics

Minister apologises after travellers complain of ‘total chaos’ at airports

Published

4 years ago

July 25, 2021

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A minister has apologised to those who have experienced delays at the UK’s airports over the weekend.

People have complained of “total chaos” at airports as the summer holidays began for millions.

Live COVID updates from the UK and around the world

Two hour-long queues to show COVID-19 documentation before being allowed airside were reported at Heathrow on Saturday, while there were complaints of a lack of staff at Stansted Airport causing “chaotic scenes”.

Airports and airlines were expecting their busiest weekend of the year, with hundreds more flights and thousands more passengers than at any time during the COVID pandemic.

Speaking to Times Radio, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse apologised for the delays and suggested that airline staff could be among those made exempt from having to isolate if identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for coronavirus.

“I know Border Force are one of the frontline services that will be able to access more of this test and release,” he said.

“And I think at Heathrow yesterday we had a technical issue with the e-gates where they went down for 90 minutes or so. That caused a problem and I’m very sorry about that, and I’m sorry for the people that were inconvenienced.

“Hopefully Border Force will be relieved of some of the aspects of the pingdemic.”

Asked if airline staff could be made exempt as well, he said: “Yes, we would be in conversation with employers.”

Heathrow was expecting to welcome about 128,000 passengers over this weekend, although that is down from pre-pandemic daily volumes of around 230,000 to 260,000 in July 2019.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said more staff would be deployed to make sure passengers had a “smooth journey”.

However, Fiona Brett, a violinist travelling to Frankfurt with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, said she had to queue for two hours at Heathrow on Saturday to show her COVID vaccination certificate to staff at check-in, despite already checking in online.

Ms Brett, from Watlington, Oxfordshire, said the “total chaos” meant her 9.30am flight was delayed.

“They were constantly calling people out of the queue for the next flight that was closing,” she said.

“Actually it would have been better to turn up at 8.30 and get called from the back of the queue to the front – total chaos.

“I believe the queues were caused not by too many people but by the airlines having to do all the extra checks before properly checking in.”

Other passengers vented their frustrations via social media about the queues at Stansted Airport, with one labelling the scenes “chaotic”.

Manchester Airports Group said it was expecting 958 flights at Manchester Airport from Friday to Monday, 224 at East Midlands Airport and 1,330 at Stansted.

This is an increase from the same weekend last year, when 632, 177 and 735 flights respectively took off.

But it is still significantly fewer than over the same period in 2019 – 2,512, 503 and 2,139 respectively.

Gatwick Airport was expecting to see around 250 to 260 flights and between 25,000 and 27,000 passengers a day over this weekend, up from a low of just 15 flights a day at one point in the pandemic.

Budget airline easyJet said it was expecting to transport some 135,000 passengers from the UK this weekend across more than 80 routes to a variety of green and amber-list destinations in Europe.

A total of 251 flights were due to take-off, flying to destinations including Malta, Madeira, Malaga in Spain, Faro and Lisbon in Portugal, and Corfu and Athens in Greece.

Tui said it had almost double the numbers of passengers setting off this weekend compared to last, with the Balearic islands and Greece the “clear favourites” for Britons jetting off for some sun.

Jet2 had 170 flights going to more than 40 destinations, up from around 70 flights to six places last weekend.

A traffic light system for international travel has been in operation since May, with destinations given a green, amber or red designation.

People returning from green list countries do not have to quarantine when they get back, but only a handful of European tourist hotspots are in this tier.

Travellers coming back from amber list countries have to isolate upon their return, but there is an exemption for those who are fully vaccinated as well as under 18s.

Spain, Italy and Greece are on the amber list.

Politics

Canada joins UK in announcing it will recognise Palestinian state – under certain conditions

Published

2 hours ago

July 31, 2025

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Canada says it will recognise a Palestinian state if certain conditions are met

Canada is planning to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September, the country’s prime minister has said.

Mark Carney’s announcement comes a day after the UK said it will recognise Palestine as a state unless Israel meets several conditions.

France became the first G7 country to announce the move last week – while Ireland, Spain and Norway all officially recognised a Palestinian state last year.

Mr Carney told reporters in Ontario that Canada would do the same on certain conditions – including that the Palestinian Authority commits to fundamentally reforming its governance, and holds general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part.

The Canadian prime minister said he had spoken with Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, earlier in the day.

Following the announcement, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement: “The change in the position of the Canadian government at this time is a reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a framework for the release of the hostages.”

A White House official anonymously told Reuters that US President Donald Trump also believes he would be “rewarding Hamas” if he recognises a Palestinian state and therefore doesn’t plan to do so.

“President Trump’s focus is on getting people fed,” the official added.

Canada had long stated it would only recognise a Palestinian state at the conclusion of peace talks with Israel.

However, Mr Carney said the reality on the ground – including the starvation of citizens in Gaza – means “the prospect of a Palestinian state is literally receding before our eyes”.

He added: “We are working ourselves, with others, to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution, to not allow the facts on the ground, deaths on the ground, the settlements on the ground, the expropriations on the ground, to get to such an extent that this is not possible.”

The Canadian prime minister also said he “condemns the fact Israel has allowed a catastrophe to unfold in Gaza”.

Sir Keir Starmer announced the UK could recognise a Palestinian state after he had a meeting with Mr Trump the previous day.

Sir Keir said the conditions Israel would have to meet to avoid such a move included taking substantive steps to end the “appalling situation in Gaza”, and agreeing to a ceasefire.

Some 38 members of the House of Lords, including some of the UK’s most eminent lawyers, have since written to the attorney general to say that recognising a Palestinian state could be a breach of international law, The Times has reported.

They have said the territory may not meet the criteria for statehood under the Montevideo Convention, a treaty signed in 1933.

Meanwhile, a Downing Street spokesperson confirmed Sir Keir had spoken to Mr Carney over the phone on Tuesday.

The spokesperson said: “They discussed the grave situation in the Middle East and last night’s action by the United States to tackle the severe threat posed by Iran’s nuclear programme.

“Both reiterated their support for a diplomatic solution and agreed that Iran must come back to the negotiating table with the United States as soon as possible.

“They looked forward to continuing their discussions at NATO this week.”

Gaza’s humanitarian crisis

A global hunger monitor has warned that a worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in Gaza.

The Hamas-run health ministry reported seven more hunger-related deaths on Wednesday, including a two-year-old girl with an existing health condition.

Meanwhile, at least 48 Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded while waiting for food at the Zikim Crossing, the main entry point for humanitarian aid to northern Gaza, according to the Shifa Hospital that received the casualties.

It was not immediately clear who opened fire and there was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which controls the crossing.

Israeli strikes and gunfire had earlier killed at least 46 Palestinians overnight and into Wednesday, most of them among crowds seeking food, health officials said.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on any of the strikes. It says it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, because the group’s militants operate in densely populated areas.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Israel on Thursday to discuss the next steps to address the situation in Gaza, an American official said.