MP TAN Dhesi has demanded the government ‘take urgent action’ to bring Britons home from countries in lockdown. 

Fifty MPs signed a letter addressed to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, calling the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) efforts to fly back stranded Brits ‘disjointed’ and ‘uncoordinated’ after the government pledged £75 million to charter flights to locked down countries because of the coronavirus.

Slough MP Tan Dhesi, who signed the letter, had been speaking to ministers about concerns of stranded nationals who felt ‘let down’ by the government before Dominic Raab MP announced the arrangements.

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Slough has a high Indian and Pakistan population with many fearing for their stranded family’s welfare and when they will return home.

The government has arranged charter flights from Delhi, Mumbai and Goa, but there have been no confirmed flights from Amritsar in Punjab and Pakistan leaving Brits stuck in those places and cannot cross the borders due to the lockdown.

It’s estimated 20,000 Brits are stuck in India after the country closed its borders in short notice.

Many of those stranded in Pakistan have been forced to spend thousands to get back to the UK, only to find their flights have been cancelled.

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Tan Dhesi, told the Observer that his constituents are “exasperated” and “angry” over the way the government has handled the repatriation of British nationals.

He said: “During the coronavirus pandemic, we have had a surge in casework receiving hundreds of emails everyday on a variety of issues.

“Amongst those emails there are a large number concerning Brits stranded abroad from Slough.

“The two major countries concerning constituents are from India and Pakistan and I have, along with the team, been trying to compile that data and we are pushing the government and the FCO to take action.

“Many constituents are exasperated and angry with the way in which the government has handled the repatriation of Brits.

“Since many of those stranded are elderly and are fast running out of medicine, other nations such as Germany, USA, Ireland, France and co have managed to bring back thousands of their citizens but our government left it to private operators or commercial airlines and now that has left us in a predicament because of the lockdowns in those nations.

“We are urging the government to take urgent action and they seem to be now coordinating blatantly to arrange flights back.

“I know many constituents are very anxious and concerned but let me reassure you that my team and I are doing are level best to bring our people back home.”

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The FCO have provided details on how to book special or commercial flights from the affected countries here: India – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/india/return-to-the-uk Pakistan – https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/pakistan/return-to-the-uk