Boris Johnson’s dad ignores lockdown travel rule to fly to Greek holiday home

The Prime Minister’s father has flown to Greece despite Government guidance to avoid foreign travel unless it is absolutely necessary.

Stanley Johnson, 79, arrived via the Bulgarian capital Sofia, as the Greek government has banned direct flights from the UK until mid-July. He touched down in Athens last night before travelling to his mountain-top villa.

He shared two Instagram posts showing the plane landing in the Greek capital and of him wearing a face mask in an airport queue. The Mediterranean country opened its borders to foreign tourists yesterday but its government has said flights coming in from Britain and Sweden won’t be allowed until at least July 15.

Mr Johnson’s trip appears to show away to get around such measures designed to stop an influx of visitors from place with a large number of coronavirus cases. However he insists his journey to his four bed villa was necessary.

Speaking from his balcony last night he told the Daily Mail: ‘I’m in Pelion on essential business trying to Covid-proof my property in view of the upcoming letting season. I need to set up distancing measures at the property because they’re taking it very seriously here.

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‘The Greeks are trying to stop bulk arrivals from the UK but they were quite happy to have me coming in. All they wanted to know where I was coming from and what I was doing. Then I had my temperature taken and was swabbed twice.

‘We must get these air bridges set up as soon as possible. From what I’ve seen the arrival of the British will not be a danger to the Greeks because they’re so careful here.’

Under current rules Johnson would be expected to quarantine for 14 days after returning to the UK.

It comes as his son Boris prepares to give the green light for Brits to travel to 95 countries later today.

But with many countries concerned about the UK’s coronavirus outbreak, particularly in Leicester, only 12 countries are expected to allow ‘air bridges’, allowing tourists to bypass quarantine rules.

In March Stanley Johnson was criticised for going against his the Goverment’s advice after telling ITV’s This Morning he wanted everyone to catch Covid-19 to ‘get it over with’.

The previous day the Prime Minister had urged people to avoid pubs, clubs and unnecessary travel, before later enforcing this with a nationwide lockdown.

But Stanley brushed off his son’s pleas and told the programme: ‘Of course I’ll go to a pub if I need to go to a pub. The people who run pubs need a little bit of people – they don’t want people to not be in the pub at all.’

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