European business networks join calls to quash quarantine plan
Business networks which support the UK’s trade relationships with its European neighbours have added their voices to the growing criticism of the government’s blanket quarantine plan.
Eduardo Barrachina, president of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the UK, said that the plan “sent the wrong message” and risked putting the UK out of step with the rest of the continent.
Speaking to City PM, he said: “There is a huge interaction between Madrid and London and if [the measures] are extended and quarantine in other countries is lifted, then it sends the wrong message and becomes very desynchronised with the rest of Europe”.
Under the current rules, which will be reviewed on 28 June, all incoming passengers to England must quarantine for 14 days.
In Spain, quarantine measures for arrivals will be lifted on 1 July.
Barrachina, a solicitor at law firm White & Case, added that industries such as construction would be especially badly hit if the quarantine was extended.
He said: “Many large Spanish companies invest in the UK in the construction and manufacturing sectors, and this will delay projects.
“This is already having a negative impact because although there are certain things you can do on video conference but there are some decisions where key figures need to be on site”.
He backed a proposal put forward by the Business Travel Association to open up travel corridors to European business hubs, saying that exemptions should be built into the measure to allow economic activity to continue.
Ulrich Hoppe, director-general of the British-German Chamber of Commerce, also supported such a scheme, as long as it was in line with public health priorities.
He said that those businesses whose workers did not fall under existing exemptions would see their supply chains and work forces disrupted.
“We need the expertise of these businesses, and the measures are simply making an extra burden for them”, he said.
At the moment, a few professions are exempt from the quarantine, such as lorry drivers and health workers.
In 2019, Germany accounted for 10.2 per cent of UK trade, a relationship worth some £136bn according to the Office of National Statistics.
It is the UK’s second largest trade partner behind the US, with Spain seventh on the list with a worth of £47.4bn.
David Chermont, chief executive of Inbound Capital and a member of the French Chamber of Great Britain, described the measures as a “necessary evil”.
He said it had “obviously had a negative impact on regular travels to the UK”.
The government has come under heavy flak from all sides over the measures, with airlines, travel firms and MPs all warning that it could have a devastating impact on the UK economy.
Catherine McGuinness, policy chair at Canada Corporation, said it was “vital” that authorities coordinate with other countries to get people flying as soon as possible.
In an impassioned emergency debate in parliament last week, former premier Theresa May said that without the aviation industry “there was no global Britain”.
Ministers are actively considering introducing air bridges to begin opening the country, with business group Quash Quarantine saying it had been given assurances such measures would be in place by the end of the month.