France placed on UK travel quarantine list as coronavirus cases rise again

France has been struck from the Government’s quarantine free travel list, amid rising concern over new cases in the country.

Up to 400,000 Britons are currently on holiday in France and now face a last-minute dash to return home before the restrictions come into force on Sunday at 4am.

Britain's second favourite holiday destination was removed from the UK's "travel corridor" list on Thursday night as new coronavirus cases hit a post-lockdown daily high with the French health ministry reporting 2,699 infections in 24 hours.

On Thursday morning, it was thought France had done "enough" to retain its status, with Government sources indicating that new restrictions would not be imposed.

Mr Johnson earlier said the Government would be "absolutely ruthless" about imposing the measures, even with "our closest and dearest partners".

Speaking during a visit to Northern Ireland, he said: "We can't be remotely complacent about our own situation. Everybody understands that in a pandemic you don't allow our population to be reinfected or the disease to come back in.

"That is why the quarantine measures are very important, and we have to apply them in a very strict way."

Meanwhile, the Netherlands and Malta are set to be removed from the "travel corridor" list, Government sources confirmed on Thursday. The Turks and Caicos Islands and Aruba are also expected to lose their places.

Earlier the former Brexit secretary David Davis warned that "uncertainty" around France's future would be "devastating for the travel industry", saying: "If you are a factory worker and you're told that your holiday is likely to require one month out of work, then you have to worry about hanging on to your job and your wages. It fuels cancellations and stalls bookings for a sector that is already struggling."

Mr Davis urged the Government to "rethink" its border policy and asked ministers to listen to the requests of the travel industry, saying: "I don't think the Government is doing as much as it can about testing. We ought to have testing at the airport or even before return, which is something the industry has been asking for.

"A more nuanced approach to regional areas affected would also be welcome. It looks as though this has been run on message and simplicity rather than policy, and that's very bad news."

A separate senior backbencher suggested that "diplomacy" around the ongoing Channel migrants situation could be behind the delay in an announcement.

"There is a lot of tension with the French over the Channel crossings as it is and Paris has been reluctant to heed UK demands," the backbencher said. "To add France to the quarantine list would add yet more friction to the situation."

Paris has said it will impose reciprocal quarantine restrictions on British travellers if the UK Government does move to strike France from its list.