UK PM Andy Burnham receives travel industry and immigration group pleas

The Future Travel Coalition, representing a broad cross‑section of the UK travel and tourism sector, sent a letter to newly appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham welcoming his government and outlining the industry’s contribution of more than £165 billion to gross value added, over three million jobs and £36.6 billion in tax revenues. The coalition warned that rising taxes, high employment costs and regulatory burdens – such as Air Passenger Duty – threaten competitiveness and urged support for the government’s Tourism Growth Plan and the target of attracting 50 million visitors by 2030.

A parallel briefing notes that Burnham’s first week saw Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood reappointed and over 200 charities writing to the PM urging him to reject “politics of division” in the asylum‑seeker debate. Reports highlighted concerns about the criminalisation of trafficking survivors, weaknesses in the Modern Slavery Act defence and the impact of the forthcoming Immigration and Asylum Bill. The Migration Advisory Committee recommended adding 28 occupations to the Temporary Shortage List, while recent High Court rulings challenged Home Office policies on trafficking and sponsor licences.