Tourists going abroad may no longer have to fill in complicated travel forms when they return to the UK after their Easter holidays.
Covid documents that travellers must complete before entering Britain seem set to be ditched after the Health Secretary Sajid Javid backed the move.
Government sources told the Mirror it is now “fairly likely” the change will be in place before families jet off for the Easter holidays.
A formal process would still have to take place, with ministers signing off the scrapping of the passenger locator form at a Covid meeting in the coming weeks.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is understood to have been pushing for the move to help the travel industry get back on its feet.
Boris Johnson last week unveiled his Living With Covid plan.
It scrapped self-isolation requirements but did not include changes to international travel rules.
It means those arriving in the UK still have to complete a form.
But the Prime Minister hinted it could be ditched in time for the Easter break.
He was asked by Labour MP Ben Bradshaw why the “bureaucratic and irritating” documents were still needed when they aren’t by other European countries.
The PM responded by saying the form would be reviewed by Easter.
Tory MP Huw Merriman, who chairs the Commons transport committee, urged ministers to give the travel industry a “much-needed shot in the arm” by getting rid of the form.
Travel industry association ABTA said: “Given the relaxation of domestic Covid measures, we believe all Covid-related restrictions on international travel should be [axed] unless they serve a clear public health objective.
“While recent simplifications of the [form] have helped, the system for collecting passenger data is much more complex than that used by many other countries. It’s time to get people travelling again.”
The last time travel rules were eased for Brits was this month when Covid tests were ended for fully-vaccinated travellers.
