Hello, I'm Simon Calder, welcoming you to my independent travel podcast, bringing you the latest

news on travelling, whether you're just dreaming of a great escape or actually making plans for one.

And it's getting towards the end of Monday, and I'm still trying to make sense of what the government

has said on testing, or rather the need for people to do so

when they arrive, if they've been fully vaccinated, disappearing. Let me run through what we know.

The Health Secretary has long said that testing restrictions could go. At lunchtime, the Prime Minister put together a what's

called a pooled clip in which he said it was going to go. And then finally, the MPs were told

in the House of Commons by the Transport Secretary who said that from 4am on the 11th of February,

he is going to make sure that people do not need to have a

test after arrival if they have been fully vaccinated. At the moment, of course, if you're coming

into the UK, even if you've been double-jabbed, you are going to have to have a pre-booked test,

typically costing around £25, in order to fill in the passenger locator form,

in order to be allowed on a train, boat or plane to the UK.

So things will get easier, the travel industry, which has been calling for this for months,

we'll be glad that it has happened.

There is, though, for me, one very big question, which is, why is it not happening for another 18 days? The transport secretary said, we promised we wouldn't keep this in place for more

than a day that is necessary. He also said,

I think this is a complete waste of time. It's obvious to me, he said, now that border testing

for vaccinated travellers has outlived its usefulness. So given what he said, you would imagine

that they would bring it to an end

immediately. But he said, it takes a little bit of time to put those technical changes in place

and indeed to bring all four UK nations with us. He said it will be around in time for the

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