Boris Johnson has cancelled a trip to India later this month to focus on the coronavirus response after he imposed a third national lockdown on England.
The Prime Minister called his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on Tuesday morning to “express his regret” that he will be unable to visit as planned, No 10 said.
Instead, Mr Johnson will stay in the UK in light of the tough new measures he has enacted in an attempt to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed amid a surge in infections.
His visit had been billed as an effort to boost trade and promote his Global Britain agenda after the post-Brexit departure from the European Union’s single market.
Issuing a read-out of their call, a No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister spoke to Prime Minister Modi this morning, 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.”
He told Mr Modi that he hopes to visit India “in the first half” of the year, ahead of his attendance at the G7 summit hosted by the UK that he will attend as a guest.
