UK coronavirus LIVE: Ministers under pressure over foreign holidays as Covid vaccine exports row intensifies

Ministers are under pressure to confirm the return of foreign holidays after MPs said the initial target date of May 17 should be set in stone to provide certainty for consumers and businesses.

The Transport Select Committee called on the Global Travel Taskforce to set out the criteria that passengers will need to fulfil in order to embark on foreign trips. Greece and Spain have already said that they will accept vaccinated tourists this summer.

It came as tensions between the EU and the UK intensified after senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt hit back at Boris Johnson, who yesterday insisted that the UK had not imposed a ban on Covid-19 vaccine exports.

Meanwhile, the public is being urged to stand on their doorsteps and balconies at 8pm to slow handclap the Government over its proposal for a 1 per cent pay rise for NHS staff. Chancellor Rishi Sunak will also face questions over the plans as he is grilled by MPs over his Budget.