Warm welcome for government pledge to have UK-wide approach to Christmas Covid fight

The need for a joint approach to Christmas across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was discussed at a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee on Monday.

A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office at Westminster announced, following the Cobra meeting, that “officials from across the UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive will work together on a joint approach to the Christmas period”.

Alliance MP Dr Stephen Farry, who last week wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, First Minister Arlene Foster and her counterparts in Scotland and Wales to outline the need for a joint approach to Christmas, welcomed the announcement.

“I’m very encouraged to see increased levels of co-operation within the UK, between the UK government and the devolved regions and also stronger collaboration with the Irish government,” Dr Farry told the News Letter.

“We’ve been calling for greater collaboration, not least with the Christmas holidays coming up. People want to know what they can and cannot do.

“At this stage it’s too early to say what the arrangements are going to be at Christmas, but its important that there’;s a commonality of approach — around travel arrangements in particular, and a similar approach in terms of family gatherings. That’s the only way there will be fairness and equity.”

DUP MP Jim Shannon also speaking to the News Letter from London, said: “I agree with that approach 100%. It’s a good idea. We all watch the national news and we all watch the provincial news, so it’s about getting the strategy and the message universally across the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

“I do agree with that and I do support it.”