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The worsening Covid-19 disaster has compelled Boris Johnson to scrap a high-profile journey to India, his first abroad go to since Brexit was accomplished.
The prime minister believed he ought to “remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus”, a Downing Street spokesperson.
The transfer will heighten criticism that Mr Johnson was unprepared for the dramatic surge in infections – triggering a 3rd lockdown – when the journey was organized for later this month.
At one time, Brexit supporters earmarked India as among the many main new commerce offers they hoped to safe as soon as the UK had left the EU and its customs union.
However, India already appeared to have cooled on the prospect, at the least with out a important improve in immigration to the UK which was unlikely to be conceded.
In a press release, No 10 mentioned Mr Johnson had spoken with Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, to “express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned”.
“In light of the national lockdown announced last night, and the speed at which the new coronavirus variant is spreading, the Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus,” it learn.
“The leaders underlined their shared commitment to the bilateral relationship, and to continuing to build on the close collaboration between our countries – including in response to the pandemic.
“The Prime Minister said that he hopes to be able to visit India in the first half of 2021, and ahead of the UK’s G7 Summit that Prime Minister Modi is due to attend as a guest.”
The go to would have been Mr Johnson’s first main bilateral abroad go to since turning into prime minister means again in July 2019.
His journey to New York, two months later, needed to be curtailed in dramatic style when the Supreme Court declared his shutdown of Parliament to be illegal – requiring him to hurry residence.
The G7, scheduled to happen within the UK in the summertime, is seen as essential to a post-Brexit bounce again, however is prone to rely upon worldwide progress in taming the brand new coronavirus spike.
Earlier, Michael Gove advised the brand new lockdown will proceed till March and that some restrictions will keep in place even longer.
Just hours after Mr Johnson promised a mid-February overview level, his Cabinet ally warned the general public to anticipate the curbs to stay for longer
“Nobody can predict with accuracy exactly what we will be able to relax and when,” Mr Gove mentioned.
And he added: “I think it’s right to say that, as we enter March, we should be able to lift some of these restrictions but not necessarily all.”
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