Parliamentary Committee presses Home Secretary on Immigration and Asylum Bill, ETA enforcement and Common Travel Area
Latest Home Office sponsor register shows surge in A-rated employers after July compliance refresh
Eurostar Drops Rotterdam Stop and Warns of Lengthy Delays After Track Fire in the Netherlands
Latest News
UK travellers warned of border closures around G7 Summit in Switzerland
FCDO updated its Switzerland travel advice on 5 July, warning that multiple border crossings with France will close or face heavy checks from 12-19 July during the G7 Summit in Évian. UK travellers using Geneva Airport or driving between France and Switzerland should expect severe delays and possible protest activity. Businesses moving staff or urgent cargo via Geneva need contingency routing and extra lead time.
Eurostar issues fresh delay alerts as border checks and Dutch line damage snarl weekend services
Eurostar posted multiple new alerts on 5 July: delays at Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam due to heightened border checks, plus continuing diversions after fire damage near Rotterdam. Direct London-Amsterdam services remain curtailed and journey times on alternative routes are longer. Business travellers should build in extra margin or switch to virtual meetings.
Overnight shutdown of HMRC Customs Declaration Service threatens weekend freight flows
CDS, the UK’s core import/export IT system, will be offline from 20:00 BST on 4 July to 02:30 on 5 July for maintenance. Declarations lodged during the window will queue, risking delays for freight and any business travellers hand-carrying goods. HMRC urges early submission and contingency paperwork.
Airport eGates to open to eight- and nine-year-olds from 8 July, easing family queues
From 8 July, children aged 8-9 travelling with an adult will be eligible to use UK airport eGates. The move should divert around 1.5 million arrivals a year from staffed desks, easing summer queues and improving the arrival experience for relocating families and business travellers.
Short-notice crew shortage and signalling fault trigger rail disruption across Northern England and West Country
Northern Rail has bus-replaced services in Lancashire on 5 July due to crew shortages, while Great Western Railway faces a signalling fault at Hungerford that will disrupt Westbury-Reading trains until 6 July. Travellers should expect diversions, longer journey times and potential knock-on effects to flight and Eurostar connections.
FCDO adds dual-national re-entry guidance to Andorra travel advice
The FCDO updated its Andorra advice on 5 July with specific instructions for dual nationals: British citizens must use their UK passports to enter and exit the country, even when travelling overland from Spain or France. Employers should remind affected staff to carry both passports to avoid delays.
Northern Rail Warns of Crowded Liverpool Trains During Rugby League ‘Magic Weekend’
Northern Trains expects severe crowding on Liverpool routes this weekend as the Rugby League Magic Weekend draws thousands of fans. The operator recommends allowing extra journey time and checking live updates, with business travellers urged to plan for potential delays and higher ground-transport costs.