Member of Parliament Päivi Räsänen (Christian Democrats) during a plenary session of the Finnish Parliament in Helsinki on 22 June 2026. Photo: Jade Silpo / Lehtikuva
International news
Päivi Räsänen, a member of Finland's Parliament, says the United Kingdom refused her Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), forcing her to change travel plans and avoid a scheduled stop in London.
The Christian Democrat MP said she had planned to return from the United States to Finland through Heathrow Airport. She said the ETA application received an automatic approval before British authorities withdrew the authorisation days before her departure, leaving her to book a different route home.
Räsänen told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat that the rejection came as a surprise. She said the decision did not state the reason for the refusal and referred only to information supplied in her application.
