Brits hoping to go on holiday this summer will have to play ‘a wait-and-see game’.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he did not want to give the public ‘false hope’ about the chances of European trips away.

It follows an intervention from the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who suggested summer is ‘cancelled’ and vacations are unlikely to go ahead.

Speaking in the House of Commons earlier, Labour’s Lucy Powell asked Mr Shapps: ‘Is the Government, like European governments, working towards European summer holidays happening this summer, or do we all need to cancel them? If it is neither, can they just be a bit more careful with their words.’

The Transport Secretary replied: ‘We know that we are unable at the moment, as things stand, to go ahead and do these things because most countries aren’t allowing people in, and in any case the Foreign Office advice is not to travel – it’s hugely sad and regrettable, but it is the fact.’

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The Government is currently advising Brits ‘against all but essential international travel.’

Mr Shapps continued: ‘As we progress, and as we get through phase two and phase three, we hope in June and July the situation may change.

‘But it is not possible to give people a sense of false hope, we need to be realistic about this, and am certainly keen to use very precise language in order to provide every possible direction at the public. But it will be a wait-and-see game, I’m afraid.’

Earlier, Mr Hancock was asked whether ‘summer was cancelled’, and he told ITV’s This Morning: ‘I think that’s likely to be the case. 

‘We haven’t made a final decision on that yet but it is clear that we will seek to reopen hospitality, some hospitality, from early July if we keep successfully reducing the spread of this virus. 

‘But social distancing of some kind is going to continue.’

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