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PM ‘can find time to slag off devolution but not make it work’ says Welsh minister after no-show

25 Nov 2020 2 minute read
Boris Johnson. Picture by Kuhlmann /MSC (CC BY 3.0 DE).

The Prime Minister “can find time to slag off devolution but not make it work,” a Welsh Labour minister has claimed.

Lee Waters’ comments came after Boris Johnson missed a key Cobra meeting with the leaders of the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland governments to discuss arrangements for Christmas.

Yesterday First Minister Mark Drakeford expressed his surprise that Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not attend the get-together.

During First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mark Drakeford said he understood Boris Johnson would “once again” be skipping the meeting to be replaced by Michael Gove.

“Unfortunately I’m told that the Prime Minister will, once again, not attend the Cobra meeting this afternoon,” he said.

“You might think that given the significance of the decisions we are having to take there that the Prime Minister might think that that was a conversation in which he would choose to be engaged.”

Commenting on the story, Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters said: “Where’s Boris? He can find time to slag off devolution but not to make it work.”

 

‘Relaxation’

It was announced yesterday that three households from around the UK will be able to meet from 23 December until at least 27 December.

It follows an agreement between the UK government and ministers in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Mark Drakeford told BBC news that he felt that people wouldn’t be willing to stick to strict rules over Christmas.

“It’s having a form of relaxation where there are rules that people will recognise that will allow people to enjoy Christmas, but we’ll do it in a controlled way,” he said.

“People will be allowed to do what the law will allow them to do, but this is not an instruction to travel, it’s not an instruction to meet with other people.

“People should still use a sense of responsibility, should still ask themselves whether what they are doing is keeping themselves and other people safe.”


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