Nicola Sturgeon deems Boris Johnson's Scotland visit "not essential"
Scotland's First Minister has questioned whether the trip is necessary during the pandemic
Last updated 28th Jan 2021
Boris Johnson will travel to Scotland today in an attempt to promote the Union amid growing support for Scottish independence.
It comes after numerous polls have shown increasing support for independence, which is reported to have caused concern among officials in Westminster about the future of the Union.
Scotland's First Minister is "not ecstatic" about his visit
His trip has raised eyebrows amongst Scottish leaders, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon deeming it “not essential” under the current lockdown guidance and insisting that politicians have “a duty to lead by example” in sticking to the rules.
"People like me and Boris Johnson have to be in work for reasons people understand. You do not have to travel across the UK. We have a duty to lead by example."
She added that she herself had declined a visit to an Aberdeen vaccine centre in order to abide by the rules.
However, Michael Gove, a member of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, has argued that the trip does fall under the essential travel category, assuring that Mr Johnson would “be operating in a Covid-secure way”.
Speaking on the motivation behind the trip, Mr Gove said: “He’s the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, it’s absolutely essential that the Prime Minister is there to see how on the front line we are progressing in our vaccine delivery and rollout programme.
“It’s critically important that the Scottish Government and the UK Government are working together to do everything we can to support the rollout and see what we can do to improve it.”
The PM spoke of the importance of UK cooperation
Ahead of his journey, Mr Johnson spoke of the “mutual cooperation across the UK” throughout the pandemic.
He added: “The people of the UK have stood together during this pandemic: from our doctors and nurses in our hospitals to our shop workers, scientists, lorry drivers and teachers – working together as one truly United Kingdom is the best way to build our Covid recovery.”
Meanwhile, SNP deputy leader, Keith Brown, has suggested that the Prime Minister’s visit proves Westminster are in a “panic” about the prospect of another referendum, which has been proposed by Nicola Sturgeon if the SNP do well in the Scottish elections this May.
The MSP said: “Clearly, Boris Johnson is rattled. By branding this campaign trip as ‘essential’, this is clearly a Prime Minister in panic, who knows the Tories are losing the argument on independence.
“Twenty polls in a row have shown that a majority of voters believe Scotland’s future should be in Scotland’s hands – not Boris Johnson’s.”
Here's everything you need to know about Covid-19:
What is Covid-19?
Covid-19 emerged as a virus in December 2019 as the first cases are reported in Wuhan, China. Scientifically known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus created a global pandemic as it began to spread around the world. Symptoms can range from very mild to severe, causing death in some cases. Some people are completely asymptomatic and do not realise they even have the virus.
Has there been a virus like this before?
The SARS pandemic in 2003 was similar to Covid-19 in that it was also caused by a coronavirus. SARS stands for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The global outbreak of SARS lasted from 2002-2003, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774. Covid-19 and SARS are both respiratory illnesses, but SARS was much more deadly and less infectious.
What are the main symptoms?
The NHS say the main Covid-19 symptoms are a high temperature, a new and continuous cough and loss or change to taste of sense or smell. NHS advises people with Covid-19 to take plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take paracetamol for a high temperature.
What was the Government reaction?
The UK Government announced the first of several lockdowns in March 2020. By the end of the month, more than 100 countries around the world introduce full or partial lockdowns, preventing people from going to work, restricting everyday tasks and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people globally.
Which countries have been worst hit?
During the first year of the pandemic, the US recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world and the most deaths, reporting an unprecedented 100,000 new cases in one day on November 4th 2020. Thousands of new cases were recorded on the same date in India (46,000+), the United Kingdom (22,000+), Brazil (17,000+) and Mexico (5,000+), while Ireland records less than 1,000 (578). Hundreds of other countries also reported a high rate of infection.
How have vaccines fought against Covid-19?
Vaccines began being approved for use across the globe. By January 2021, the UK approved the use of three different vaccines. The Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the Moderna vaccine are rolled out to the public, with older people and those with greater health concerns getting priority. In April 2022, just under 53 million people had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
What are new Covid variants?
Four new variants of Covid-19 were discovered around the world. Beta was found in South Africa, Gamma in Brazil and Delta in India, while the Alpha variant was first located in Kent, UK. New variants are not likely to make someone more seriously ill than Covid-19 would, but variants like Delta have a higher infection rate, meaning it can be more easily spread.
The Omicron variant was first detected late 2021 in South Africa. Since then, it has become one of the most dominant variants in the world, with its own sub strains - BA.4 and BA.5.