Policy paper

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and First Ministers COBR Meeting Communiqué: 19 December 2021

Updated 22 December 2021

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

This communiqué summarises the COBR meeting chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on Sunday 19 December; the meeting took place via video conference.

The attending Ministers were:

For the UK Government:

  • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Rt Hon Stephen Barclay MP
  • Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Simon Clarke MP
  • Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
  • Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, Gillian Keegan MP
  • Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappy MP
  • Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon Alister Jack MP
  • Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Simon Hart MP
  • Minister of State for the Northern Ireland Office, Rt Hon Conor Burns MP

For the Scottish Government:

  • First Minister of Scotland, Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon MSP

For the Welsh Government:

  • First Minister of Wales, Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS

For the Northern Ireland Executive:

  • First Minister of Northern Ireland, Paul Givan MLA
  • deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill MLA
  • Minister of Health, Robin Swann MLA

The group discussed the UK-wide response to the new Covid variant, including impact on the UK workforces and measures to alleviate disruption.