Ministers deny planning no-deal Brexit holiday warnings

Downing Street has dismissed claims that people will be warned not to book holidays beyond March 2019 as part of no-deal Brexit contingency plans.

It comes after the Sunday Times said senior officials had examined the idea.

But a No 10 spokesperson rejected the report as “categorically untrue.”

And travel agents’ body Abta told the BBC: “The European Commission has said that even in a no-deal scenario, flights will still operate between the UK and EU, and a visa is not required.”

The UK is set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.

There are understood to be tensions among government ministers over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, and the impact it might have on the economy.

Travel freely

Last week it was confirmed that while UK travellers will not need a visa to visit the EU, Britons will need to apply for and buy another document to travel to member states, post-Brexit.

The document – which costs €7 (£6.30) and is valid for three years – is called an ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) and although not launched yet, is expected to come into force in 2021.

The travel requirement is not just for the UK but for many non-EU countries.

Under the Brexit deal, EU citizens and UK nationals will continue to be able to travel freely with a passport or identity card until the end of the transition period in 2020.

After this period ends, the European Commission has offered visa-free travel for UK nationals coming to the EU for a short stay, as long as the UK offers the same in return.

But although they do not need a visa, UK nationals will need the ETIAS – deal or no deal.