Boris Johnson in ‘paralysis’ on Omicron because of ‘infighting’ in the Cabinet says Mark Drakeford

Wales’ First Minister has said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in “paralysis” on the Omicron variant and that the people of Wales will appreciate having a government that believes that it is “not acceptable to do nothing”.

Mark Drakeford said that while there were “sensible” people within the UK Government there were also people who saw the risks but were happy to see them play out.

“There is a real contrast between us and the UK Government who see simply unable to act,” he said.

“I saw the Prime Minister say that the position has never been so urgent and then he said that he was doing nothing.

“That is not acceptable to me and leading the Welsh Government, if we are told there are actions we can take to protect people’s lives and livelihoods we will take them.

“People in Wales will appreciate that despite the difficulties I know it creates for people and businesses.”

He added later: “We see the reports of infighting within the cabinet. There are sensible voices during the Prime Minister to act.

“There are others who take a different view of the balance of risk and are prepared to let those risks run. They see the data but are not prepared to act.|”

‘Extremely difficult’

The Prime Minister said yesterday confirmed no further Covid restrictions will be put in place before Christmas.

Boris Johnson has said there is currently “not enough evidence on the severity of Omicron”, the rate of hospitalisations or the impact of the booster rollout to justify tougher measures.

He added that despite an “extremely difficult” situation, he knew that millions of families across the nation were waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans could go ahead.

“The situation remains extremely difficult but I also recognise that people have been waiting to hear whether their Christmas plans are going to be affected,” he said.

“We can’t rule out any further measures after Christmas – and we’re going to keep a constant eye on the data, and we’ll do whatever it takes to protect public health.

“But in view of the continuing uncertainty about several things – the severity of Omicron, uncertainty about the hospitalisation rate or the impact of the vaccine rollout or the boosters, we don’t think today that there is enough evidence to justify any tougher measures before Christmas.

“We continue to monitor Omicron very closely and if the situation deteriorates we will be ready to take action if needed.

“What this means is that people can go ahead with their Christmas plans but the situation remains finely balanced and I would urge everyone to exercise caution, to keep protecting yourselves and your loved ones, especially the vulnerable.

“So, if you have not done so already then please drop everything, find a walk-in or go online and make an appointment and Get Boosted Now.”