People in Britain who have been vaccinated could receive a certificate confirming they are safe to travel abroad even if coronavirus restrictions remain in place until autumn.
The government’s Covid-19 operations committee later is meeting on Friday to consider creating a system that creates some freedom for international travel.
While no final decisions are expected to be made on Friday, the Department for Transport is likely to be given approval to step up preparations.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that the government was in talks with the travel industry about setting up a scheme with “all kinds of apps” that could be used.
“We’re looking at all sorts of things that we may wish to do in the months ahead,” he said, as ministers continued talks with travel companies.
Home Office minister Victoria Atkins denied that the government was bringing in “vaccine passports” but said an international system was being considered.
“We have no plans to introduce vaccine passports. The transport secretary has talked about the possibility of an international system but we are a long way from that at the moment,” she told Sky News on Friday.
A spokesman said that the government wanted to “open up international travel in a responsible, safe and fair manner”.
"We want to ensure there is an internationally recognised approach to enable travel and are working closely with international partners to do so,” he said.
With international travel still illegal, the World Travel and Tourism Council warned that the UK faced a greater hit to its economy than countries such as Germany that imposed fewer travel barriers to curb the spread of Covid-19. Office for National Statistics figures released on Friday said that the UK economy shrunk by a record 9.9 per cent last year.
“We believe the impact of constantly shifting policies on testing, quarantines and the placing of countries in so-called high-risk red zones will jeopardise the return of a sector which contributes nearly £200 billion ($275.65bn) annually to the UK economy,” WTTC president Gloria Guevara said.
But Ms Atkins said next week was "critical" when asked when the UK could emerge from lockdown.
Mr Johnson is due to announce his road map out of lockdown on February 22.
"Next week is a critical week, we are going to gather all of the data – both internationally and our own data,” Ms Atkins said. “At this point we’ve just got to keep tight and do all we can to keep the pandemic under control.”
Dr Susan Hopkins of Public Health England said that some restrictions might need to remain in place until all adults are inoculated against the disease.
She said that it was “still difficult to say” whether rules would be tighter this summer than they were in summer 2020.
“I think we are going to have to have some measures in place until the whole population is vaccinated, at least all of the adult population,” she said.
"And even then I think we'll need to know more about transmission before we can release everything and get back to life as it was."
It is understood ministers are suggesting face masks and social distancing rules should remain mandatory for many months after restaurants, pubs and offices reopen.
"The more restrictions we have in place, like social distancing rules, the more we can do in terms of easing," a government source told The Times.
Sir Jeremy Farrer, head of the Wellcome Trust research fund, said it was “not sensible” for ministers to set a date for lifting restrictions.
“The data has to drive us and in 2020 we lifted restrictions too quickly when the data would not really have allowed that and as a result the transmission went back up in this country,” he said.
Prof John Edmunds, a scientific adviser to the government, warned that some restrictions could remain in place until the end of the year. He said that loosening restrictions too hastily could drive the R number – a measure of how fast an infected person spreads the disease – would rise above 1, indicating the virus is in widespread circulation.
“If we opened schools I think the reproduction number would get close to 1 and possibly exceed 1. If we opened them up completely, if we opened secondary schools and primary schools at the same time, I suspect we’d be lucky to keep the reproduction number below 1,” he told ITV.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
RESULT
Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)
Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
