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 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.