This is a letter from 34 business leaders to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

We write to encourage you to maintain the current reopening timetable in England, notwithstanding the unfortunate interruption in vaccine supply and rising cases in Europe.

The UK vaccination programme is a huge success that has protected the most vulnerable in our society and it continues to meet the first of the four criteria which you announced in February. The other three criteria are also currently being met.

Now, for reasons of both social and economic health, we must continue to reopen.

The rising public tension we witnessed this weekend is another indication that we are at a delicate point in dealing with this pandemic. We fully support your approach to this current lockdown to protect lives and save the NHS. It has been effective.

In addition to the world-beating vaccine programme you have put in place, we also have some of the most comprehensive testing. Expanding the use of testing will allow us to keep to your original timetable whilst also protecting against a third wave that our European neighbours are currently suffering.

We are a global trading nation. We urge you and the Global Travel Taskforce to adopt a pragmatic risk-based approach to international travel restrictions, that combines a safe countries list with testing and vaccine certification to create a form of health passport.

We can emerge from this crisis having delivered the most successful vaccination programme in the G7 and reopening in a way that avoids increased spread. This will send a powerful message to our friends around the World that the United Kingdom remains an international powerhouse, punching about above our weight economically, politically and culturally.

Please keep to the reopening timetable you set out in February, which will allow us to bounce-back rapidly from the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic and to rebuild our lives.

DEREK RAY-HILL,

Managing Director, Cities Restart

Co-signed by: Alex Hill, CEO, AEG Europe; Surinder Arora, Founder and Chair, Arora Group; Chris Skeith, CEO, Association of Event Organisers; Rachel Parker, Director, Association of Events Venues; Debbie Akehurst, CEO, BEE Midtown; Emma English, Executive Director, British Educational Travel Association; Simon Hughes, Chair, British Visits and Events Partnership; Chris Oglesby, CEO Bruntwood and Chair of UnitedCity; Mark Jenkinson, Director, Crystal Associates; Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Airport; Inderneel Singh, Managing Director, Edwardian Hotels London; Andrew Harrison, Director, Event Suppliers and Services Association; Jeremy Rees, CEO, ExCeL London; Craig Beaumont, Chief of External Affairs, Federation of Small Businesses; Gerald Kaye, Chief Executive, Helical PLC; Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting; Mark Allan, CEO, Land Sec; Jon Davies, MD, Levy Restaurants; David Winstanley, CEO, London Biggin Hill Airport; Robert Sinclair, CEO, London City Airport; Stewart Wingate, CEO, London Gatwick; Geeta Nanda, CEO, Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing; James Rook, Managing Director, Nimlok Limited; Emma Degg, CEO, North West Business Leadership Team; Kate Verah, Executive Director, The Old Vic Theatre; Mike Rooney, CEO, Resilience First; Monica Bewak, Director, Rosewood London; Julian Bird, CEO, Society of London Theatres & Producer of the Olivier Awards; Ros Morgan, CEO, South Westminster BIDS and MD of Primera; Tim Darwell-Taylor, Managing Director, Topaz Health; Sean Collins , Chief Executive Officer, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers; Kate Nicholls, CEO, UK Hospitality; Peter Norris, Chair, Virgin.