An exemption dubbed the “Stanley Johnson clause” allowing people to travel overseas in connection to second homes abroad is to be included in new coronavirus rules.
The legislation, which could see people leaving England for a foreign holiday left facing a £5,000 fine, will allow trips for the “purchase, sale, letting or rental of a residential property”.
The new regulations, which cover the prime minister’s “road map” out of lockdown for England, include a ban on leaving the country without a valid reason.
MPs will vote on the rules on Thursday, with the laws expected to come into force on 29 March.
Meanwhile Spain is to lift ban on travel from the UK the Government spokesperson María Jesús Montero after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
The current ban expires on March 30 and restrictions on UK travel will not be renewed on that date.
Passengers traveling to Spain from the UK will, however, have to show a negative PCR test taken 72 hours before travel.
“Spain is a safe country that is strictly following the recommendations of the World Health Organization and the experts,” said Montero, the Europa Press news agency reported.
The UK currently bans foreign travel except for health, work and other essential reasons, although the ban is up for review in April.
Germany has also expanded its restrictions due to a spike in infections, and is asking Germans to stay at home between April 1 and 5. At the news conference, Spanish government spokesperson Montero ruled out the possibility of Spain introducing a similarly strict confinement over Easter.
