Overseas business leaders will no longer need to quarantine when arriving in England if their trip is likely to be of significant economic benefit to the UK, the Government has announced.
It comes as UK Covid cases increased by more than 26,000 yesterday in the worst day since the January surge.
The question a lot of us are asking is how do you quantify economic benefit to the UK, who decides the criteria and how will we know?
If a UK based asset stripper meets a non-UK based asset stripper in London, does that count? The safe money would be on ‘yes’.
The government have announced that senior executives can temporarily leave quarantine, in England, if they are undertaking activities with a significantly economic benefit.
— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) June 29, 2021
One rule for the elites, another for everyone else. pic.twitter.com/xlwUgKGKnT
Investment
But before we go all anti-capitalist here is what the government has had to say on the matter.
First off, company executives wishing to travel to England to make a “financial investment in a UK-based business” or for “establishing a new business within the UK” will be exempt from quarantine- but they will need written permission first.
The Department for Business said: “This exemption is designed to enable activity that creates and preserves UK jobs and investment, while taking steps to ensure public health risks are minimised.”
But the Government added that business leaders will not qualify for an exemption if the activities can be carried out remotely via telephone or email, or by another person.
“Significant economic benefit” is considered to be having a greater than 50 per cent chance of creating or preserving at least 500 UK-based jobs, or creating a new UK business within two years, the new guidance added.
Full of holes
The jobs idea is noble, of course, but the ‘creating a new UK business within two years’ is vague and full of holes.
Anyone could set up a shell company in the UK and bring virtually zero wealth into the country, apart from the cost of registering the name.
I wasn’t the only sleuth who saw this plan as potentially a way for rich and powerful people to simply sidestep the rules us mere mortals have to abide with.
Reactions
Here’s what people had to say on the matter:
1.
But…..doesn’t everyone who works provide significant benefits to the economy.
— Jon Trickett MP (@jon_trickett) June 29, 2021
2.
Sorry for the unparliamentary language but this just takes the pi**.
— Angela Rayner (@AngelaRayner) June 29, 2021
It is the lowest paid working people who have got our country through this crisis, risking their lives on the frontline. This is an offensive slap in the face for them and shows this government’s true colours. https://t.co/OO3CFmfOcB
3.
When you put a banker in charge of the Department of Health…. https://t.co/4Gb4sc6uxO
— L A U R A (@FireladySnail) June 29, 2021
4.
Two legs good, four legs bad… https://t.co/Fb50ca7xhJ pic.twitter.com/GJfLIPaTQW
— Dr Matt Prescott (@mattprescott) June 29, 2021
5.
In other words, money is more important than people’s lives.
— Kay 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈😷💉 (@kay_1773) June 29, 2021
6.
— Lee (@heppenl) June 29, 2021
7.
Excellent, I’am a businessman and it will bring “significant economic benefit” to the country if I were to stay in the pub till 3 in the morning. I’ll let the landlord know
— . (@KlNG89) June 29, 2021
8.
Tone deaf. As usual. https://t.co/Q1OB60b1Q5
— James O’Brien (@mrjamesob) June 29, 2021
9.
luckily elites don’t get or transmit covid. https://t.co/dJq8I1QaKV
— Prof. Christina Pagel (@chrischirp) June 29, 2021
10.
I mean, I’m definitely self-certifying that all of my activities bring ‘significant economic benefit’ to the economy. #quarantinesorted https://t.co/DozsWXc0Yy
— Torsten Bell (@TorstenBell) June 29, 2021
11.
“If the government ever actually listened to me it would bring ‘significant economic benefit’ to the economy” would have to be my one
— Sam Lowe (@SamuelMarcLowe) June 29, 2021
12.
This is the most sophisticated virus I’ve ever known – you can’t catch it at Wimbledon, Euro 2020 or if you are a senior executive. https://t.co/PpHGPDwjJg
— Paul Smith (@thelobsterboy) June 29, 2021
13.
“You peasants don’t understand business. Everyone I snort cocaine off of in this St. Tropez apres-ski nightclub bathroom is a potential customer for the BAE Systems Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Mortar Carrier Variant.” https://t.co/x1mCBrkkDu
— Dmitry Grozoubinski (@DmitryOpines) June 29, 2021
14.
“You peasants don’t understand business. Everyone I snort cocaine off of in this St. Tropez apres-ski nightclub bathroom is a potential customer for the BAE Systems Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Mortar Carrier Variant.” https://t.co/x1mCBrkkDu
— Dmitry Grozoubinski (@DmitryOpines) June 29, 2021
15.
In today’s episode of ‘privileged people are exempt from decent behaviour’
— Alison K. Brown (@alisonkatebr) June 29, 2021
Here are the government definitions if you want a look…
Anyone looking for the definition of ‘senior executive’ and ‘significant economic benefit’ – you can find those here: https://t.co/8qWq1LqYe7 pic.twitter.com/YoHQFugFYL
— dan barker (@danbarker) June 29, 2021
Related: Mums fearing for their babies among ‘anxious’ EU citizens before deadline
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