A new German proposal for the EU would give European leaders the power to temporarily ban all UK residents from their countries

¨Reduce the spread of troubling virus variant¨

The proposal, which is supported by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, says: "Only if member states take joint and coordinated action can the virus be contained effectively. We see an urgent need for action to prevent or at least delay the spread of variants of the virus of concern to and within the EU area. ”

If approved, this could mean that the EU would be closed to travellers from the UK until it is proven that coronavirus vaccines stop transmission and a reduced spread of the new Covid variant is evident.