Boris Johnson has now taken office as the new Prime Minister of the UK, after being voted leader of the Conservative Party. In his speech on the steps of Downing Street he reiterated his plans to leave the EU on 31 October, deal or no-deal. At the moment there is little detail about how he intends to go about this, but we can expect to hear more in the coming weeks and months.

In the meantime, ABTA will be writing to the new Prime Minister, following up on our recent letter, reminding him of the contribution the UK travel industry makes to the UK economy and reiterating that he must take every effort to ensure a managed exit from the EU. In particular, we’ll stress the need for contingency arrangements to be extended, and the importance of continued transport links, visa-free travel, and the ability for travel companies to post critical support staff in temporary roles throughout the EU.

We will also engage with all newly appointed Ministers across our main Government departments to ensure that the industry’s full range of policy priorities, including those beyond Brexit, are fully understood. 
 
X vs Kuoni referred to Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
You may recall an update the in ABTA Today a few months back where we highlighted that we had made submissions to the Supreme Court in the case of X vs Kuoni. Our submission sought to offer insight on the specific questions raised around what constitutes a supplier under the 1992 Package Travel Regulations, and the liability of a travel company when its suppliers are not themselves liable. Yesterday (24 July) the Supreme Court reported that it was referring two questions arising from the case to the CJEU.
 
BEIS review of Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018
The Government has published its topline review of the new Package Travel Regulations, which can be found here. While there are a couple of minor technical details that we are seeking clarification on from BEIS, we are not expecting any changes following the review. Members should continue to follow ABTA’s existing advice and guidance which is available in the Member Zone. 

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive