Boris Johnson to hold emergency meeting as EU states impose travel ban on UK

The list of countries banning air travel from the United Kingdom continues to grow

Boris Johnson will hold an emergency meeting with cabinet ministers on Monday amid travel chaos, with countries around the world closing their borders to the United Kingdom. After Boris Johnson announced on Saturday afternoon that London and other areas in the south-east would be placed into tier 4 due to the emergence of a new, more contagious strain of COVID, France closed its borders to the UK, both in the air and via the channel. Health secretary Matt Hancock has said the new strain is "getting out of control" after cases rose by almost 36,000 on Sunday, with a further 326 deaths. This has caused panic among the government, who reportedly fear food shortages over the Christmas period, with no freight coming in from France. A reminder, the deadline for the Brexit transition is December 31. It's not just France who are shielding themselves from Britain. Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Republic of Ireland, Turkey, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Canada are all suspending flights from the UK, with more countries expected to do so. EU member states are expected to meet and formulate a co-ordinated response.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister will chair a Cobra meeting tomorrow [Monday] to discuss the situation regarding international travel, in particular the steady flow of freight into and out of the UK.

“Further meetings are happening this evening and tomorrow morning to ensure robust plans are in place.”