Boris Johnson has been accused of going into hiding as the country waited for key updates on whether there would be new restrictions before the New Year with Covid cases on the rise.
It comes after the prime minister left health secretary Sajid Javid in charge of announcing no further coronavirus-related rules.
Although the announcement means New Year’s Eve celebrations have been given the green light, Javid said people should be “cautious” and did not rule out new restrictions from January.
England is now the only country in the UK to allow nightclubs to stay open for New Year’s Eve celebrations, despite around 100,000 Covid cases being registered.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is staying at the Chequers, his luxurious country retreat, and led an online meeting about Covid figures, whilst receiving advice from top medics.
Boris Johnson is ‘nowhere to be seen’
Lib Dem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: “It comes as no surprise this prime minister is in hiding when this country is calling out for strong leadership.
“Once again, whilst our NHS is left to hope for the best but prepare for the worst, the PM is nowhere to be seen.”
Johnson eventually addressed the nation – on Twitter.
Urging UK people to get their boosters, he wrote: “There will be no new restrictions introduced in England before the New Year.
“However, I would urge everyone to continue to act cautiously given the rising number of Omicron cases.”
The prime minister shouldn’t ‘bypass the media, David Cameron said
Last week, former prime minister David Cameron said the prime minister shouldn’t “bypass the media”.
He said: “Well, Boris has always been able to get away with things that mere mortals can’t seem to.
“But, look, I think you shouldn’t do this to bypass the media. You go on having… whether it is press conferences or interviews or media events — this is important.”
“And I always did. Yes, the press conferences were rather infrequent, but I never held back from going on the Today programme and coming on your show [All Out Politics]. I mean, we were always available and keen to engage and to answer questions”.
It comes after earlier this month, no minister was available for clarification on Sky News about whether people can go ahead with their plans for Christmas and holidays.
No Tories available to clarify festive period rules
Sky News presenter Kay Burley said the Tories did not send a single representative on TV to give people clarity on whether they can enjoy the festive season.
Last month, Labour said Boris Johnson has travelled further than the circumference of the Earth to evade difficult questions over the last decade.
The opposition looked into the prime minister’s notorious absences from important moments since 2011 – and found out he has travelled an astonishing 26,529 miles to serve awkward encounters.
The world’s circumference is approximately 24,901 miles.
Related: ‘A prime minister in tatters’: European press savages Boris Johnson