Policy paper

Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and First Ministers COBR Meeting Communiqué: 15 December 2021

Updated 22 December 2021

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

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This communiqué summarises the COBR meeting chaired by the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations on Wednesday 15 December; the meeting took place via video conference.

He also chaired ministerial meetings on 1, 8, 10 and 12 December to discuss the Omicron Covid variant.

The attending ministers were:

For the UK government:

  • Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
  • Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Simon Clarke MP
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Vaccines and Public Health, Maggie Throup MP
  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, Baroness Vere
  • Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP
  • Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jo Churchill MP
  • Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP
  • Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon Alister Jack MP
  • Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Simon Hart MP
  • Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon Brandon Lewis 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 the booster vaccine campaign and financial support for measures.

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