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1.20pm GMT
At the Downing Street lobby briefing the prime minister’s spokesman was also asked if Boris Johnson agreed with the concerns raised by the Scottish and Welsh governments (see 10.38am) aboout the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s train tour around Britain to say thank you to people who have contributed during the pandemic.
Normally a Conservative government is all too happy to speak up for the royal family, but the spokesman sidestepped the question. He said:
That is obviously a matter for the palace and I would point you towards them. But we set out clearly the tiers and the advice around the current guidelines that we are asking the public to abide by.
I’m making the general point that we have set out the regionalised tier system that is now in place and the guidance that we are asking people to abide by.
12.56pm GMT
The SNP’s Martyn Day asks what the government is doing to encourage take-up. And will the government pursue an elimination strategy?
Hancock says that it is only with a vaccine that we can get rid of the virus.
