UK Prime Minister Boris
Johnson and US President Joe Biden will today unveil a new “Atlantic Charter”
that will feature a commitment on “working to open up travel between the UK and
US as soon as possible”.
The Charter will outline the establishment of a new travel taskforce
which will make recommendations on safely reopening international travel. However, the announcement
has been criticised by the Business Travel Association which says the
Government must announce firm dates for a restart or risk more jobs being lost in the sector.
“The taskforce will
work to explore options for resuming UK-US travel and ensure that the UK and
US closely share thinking and expertise on international travel policy going
forward,” the Government said.
“Links between the
UK and US are not only crucial for our people, they create and sustain jobs
across and throughout our two countries.”
The Prime Minister and President will meet for the first time face-to-face today ahead of the G7 Summit which starts tomorrow in Cornwall.
The Charter is modelled
on the historic joint statement made by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and
President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1941 setting out their goals for the
post-war world.
Johnson said: “While
Churchill and Roosevelt faced the question of how to help the world recover
following a devastating war, today we have to reckon with a very different but
no less intimidating challenge - how to build back better from the coronavirus
pandemic.
“And as we do so,
cooperation between the UK and US, the closest of partners and the greatest of
allies, will be crucial for the future of the world’s stability and prosperity.”
Commenting on the
Charter, Clive Wratten, CEO of the Business Travel Association, said: “We
welcome the formation of the Atlantic Charter 2021 as a step in the right
direction for transatlantic travel. However, this is the latest in a long
line of travel taskforces which so far have only wreaked further devastation on
our industry.
“Jobs won’t be saved, nor livelihoods protected, until we are
given a certainty on dates for the resumption of international travel. It is
wider than our industry. In the first week of June, UK GDP has lost £630
million due to the lack of transatlantic business travel.
“Public safety is
paramount. The Charter needs to deliver international protocols that are
straightforward and easy to implement across the globe. This can only be done
if the travel industry on both sides of the Atlantic is consulted and involved
from the outset. Until travel can return to 50 per cent of pre-pandemic
levels, the UK Government must provide targeted financial support to the travel
sector which remains in lockdown whilst the country opens up."
Drew Crawley, American Express Global Business Travel’s chief commercial officer, said progress on reopening transatlantic travel had been too slow.
“We must hope that the formation of yet another travel taskforce finally produces rapid and meaningful results," he said.
“US-UK travel routes are among the most profitable in the world, pumping billions into both the American and British economies while supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs on each side of the Atlantic. The continued closure of these vital routes for more than 400 days has been detrimental to economic recovery in both countries, contributing to lost job hours and hindering innovation and solutions to our shared challenges."
Story updated with comment from American Express GBT