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Tony Blair has denied Tory’s claims that he violated COVID-19 restrictions by failing to isolate himself for fifteen days after a two-day trip to the United States on a private jet.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, the former prime minister was photographed leaving a restaurant in London’s Mayfair 10 days after returning from Washington last month.
The paper states Mr blair appealed to Whitehall officials for a special dispensation from the COVID-19 rules, but you did not receive the formal exemption letter that you would have needed to avoid the 14-day isolation period.
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A spokesman for the former prime minister told the newspaper that he was invited by the United States government for his role in the agreement between Israel and the UAE, describing the ceremony as a “diplomatic conference”.
He was advised to follow the rules on attending international conferences, having traveled to the United States for a White House ceremony in which Israel signed agreements establishing formal relations with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, his spokesman said.
Blair posed no risk to anyone as he was screened before his departure, upon arrival at the White House, and again several times since he returned to the UK, his spokesman added.
“We believe that it followed all the directives of the UK and US governments as advised,” said its spokesperson. “The UK government did not deny him the exemption.
“He was told to follow the guide on international conferences, which he did; the US government had authorized the visit because it was for the diplomatic conference at the White House.
“Mr Blair was tested for COVID prior to leaving the UK, upon arrival at the White House, when he returned to the UK and has been tested several times since then. All tests have been negative.”
And a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: “The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) provides travel exemptions to diplomats traveling on business related to UK interests, representatives of international organizations and their families. and dependents. You don’t need to isolate yourself. “
But former Conservative minister David Jones, a member of the MPC’s select committee on the civil service committee, said it was hard to see how Blair could trust himself to say they had done it “when we don’t have a testing regime.”
Jones told The Sunday Telegraph: “It is a shocking example to travelers if a former prime minister appears to be breaking the rules in such a flagrant way.”
The exemption of international conferences from the quarantine rules applies to diplomats, staff of international organizations such as the UN, and formal representatives at international conferences who have “been granted privileges and immunities.”
The Telegraph reports that Blair flew to Washington DC on September 14 and was photographed with other guests on the South Lawn of the White House, holding a face mask in hand as he posed for photographs with American political figures, including Frank Luntz, the veteran. pollster, and Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House of Representatives.
More and more areas of the UK are hit by stricter coronavirus measures
Luntz told The Sunday Telegraph: “Tony Blair was a rock star at this event. People were lining up to take pictures with him.”
Blair then returned to the UK on September 16 and the Telegraph claims that ten days later, on September 26, he was seen leaving Harry’s Bar in London’s Mayfair.
Last month, Blair urged the government to conduct massive coronavirus tests at airports and reduce quarantine times to five days as an alternative to the 14-day general quarantine, saying it would have “significant benefits for both people and the economy”.
Other 16,171 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the UK on Saturday, with 150 more deaths.
The total number of positive cases nationwide now stands at 705,428, according to government figures.
