Grant Shapps is within the body over journey shambles with Transport Secretary at centre of vicious briefing struggle over collapse of latest vacation alert checklist plan
- Grant Shapps beneath fireplace over collapse of plans for brand spanking new journey alert checklist
- The Transport Secretary being rounded on over the ‘amber shambles’ concept
- Treasury figures additionally blame Division for Transport for leaking letter from Rishi Sunak to the PM
Grant Shapps was on the centre of a vicious Whitehall briefing struggle final evening following the collapse of plans to create a brand new journey alert checklist.
Cupboard sources rounded on the Transport Secretary over the coverage – dubbed the ‘amber shambles’ – which had introduced authorities journey coverage into disrepute.
In one other twist, senior figures on the Treasury blamed the Division for Transport for leaking a letter wherein Rishi Sunak warned the Prime Minister that ‘draconian’ journey restrictions had been damaging a significant trade.
Grant Shapps was on the centre of a vicious Whitehall briefing struggle final evening following the collapse of plans to create a brand new journey alert checklist
The recriminations adopted the scrapping of the ‘amber watchlist’ by Boris Johnson on Monday.
Accepted by the Cupboard’s Covid operations sub-committee final week, the checklist would have warned travellers that amber locations akin to Spain had been prone to being positioned on the pink checklist, with severe quarantine implications.
Ministers are mentioned to have agreed the plan would give travellers extra ‘transparency’ and assist them to make knowledgeable choices.
However the concept, which was by no means formally introduced, prompted a backlash from the journey trade and Tory MPs.
Mr Shapps was extensively reported to have opposed the proposal over the weekend. However some sources yesterday mentioned he had been the primary to drift the thought.
In one other twist, senior figures on the Treasury blamed the Division for Transport for leaking a letter wherein Rishi Sunak warned the Prime Minister that ‘draconian’ journey restrictions had been damaging a significant trade
One mentioned: ‘The Division for Transport got here up with this coverage, briefed it, briefed in opposition to it, then blamed the Prime Minister.’
One other mentioned: ‘There are a good few individuals in authorities who’re p***ed off with Shapps over this.’
Allies of Mr Shapps declined to remark yesterday. However one supply mentioned different ministers had floated the thought of an amber watchlist first.
Transport insiders have rejected strategies they’d any involvement within the leaking of Mr Sunak’s letter to the Sunday Occasions, which led to renewed tensions between No 10 and No 11.
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