Labour MP criticises Tories for retaining Pakistan on red list while shifting India to amber

LABOUR MP Naz Shah on Wednesday (4) criticised the Conservative government for promoting India to the amber list while not moving Pakistan from the red zone.

As per the guidelines updated today (5), India is now on the amber list while Pakistan continues to remain in the red zone.

Calling out the UK government’s “callous behaviour when dealing with the quarantine traffic light system”, the Bradford MP accused the Conservatives of favouring “political choices rather than science”.

Shah, 47, also noted that India’s seven-day infection rate was higher than that of Pakistan, whose infection rate, she claimed, is “well below the vast majority of many amber list destinations”.

"India's seven-day infection rate is 20 per 100,000 people and is now on the amber list but Pakistan, whose seven-day infection rate is just 14 per 100,000 - well below the vast majority of amber list destinations, remains on the red list,” said Shah in a letter she shared on Twitter.

Shah also said many people in her constituency have families who have been stuck in Pakistan for months.

She said she had written to transport secretary Grant Shapps and called the decision "unacceptable" and vowed to raise the issue further.

Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi also noted that Pakistan remained on the red list despite "not having any variants of concern", reports said.

"This is complete discrimination,” Qureshi said as she accused the government of keeping Pakistan on red since it's a “smaller trading partner”.

Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE are the other countries that are moved from the red list to the amber zone. The move will be effective from Sunday (8).