Home secretary Suella Braverman has warned Britons to “think carefully” before going ahead with plans to travel abroad this Christmas.
Ms Braverman said planned strikes by Border Force officials will “undeniably” cause serious disruption to hundreds of thousands of travellers hoping to use ports and airports.
The home secretary confirmed she has plans to call in the military to fill the places of striking workers.
But she said she would not compromise on security at the border to ease the expected queues and delays, and told would-be travellers to expect long waits.
Ms Braverman told the BBC: “If they go ahead with those strikes, there will be undeniable serious disruption caused to many thousands of people who have holiday plans.
“I really want to urge people who have got plans to travel abroad to think carefully about their plans because they may well be impacted.”
The PCS union on Wednesday announced eight days of industrial action which will see Border Force personnel down tools from 23-26 December and again from 28-31 December.
