"It's a farce": Nick Ferrari tells Minister quarantine rules for travellers don't work

2 June 2020, 08:28 | Updated: 2 June 2020, 09:00

Nick Ferrari grills Housing Minister on government's quarantine rules and "bonking ban"

Nick Ferrari asked the Housing Minister when the government would be scrapping the "farcical" quarantine laws for travellers coming into the UK.

Anyone arriving in the country will be expected to quarantine for 14 days from Monday to avoid the spread of coronavirus - but critics have warned it will decimate the travel industry.

Nick asked Simon Clarke when the government was going to reverse the decision.

He said: "When will the government back down on its quarantine rules. It's said that MPs are in open revolt.

"Under the restrictions, tens of thousands of people who come to the country will still be able to change accommodation, go food shopping and use public transport while doing it.

"This is a farce, isn't it, and needs to be stood down."

Mr Clarke insisted: "The quarantine arrangements that come into effect next Monday are making sure that we don't import new risk from abroad at a crucial stage in our handling of the pandemic.

"At this point, when the numbers in this country are coming down, we don't want people coming into the UK, bringing in new case load."

Nick told him that someone from abroad who comes to this country cam flip between different hotels every day under the laws. "These rules palpably do not work, do they?"

But the Minister stated: "People breaching those rules can be fined up to £1,000. They are a very serious set of rules designed to reflect the serious risk that this pandemic poses."

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