Boris Johnson cancels visit to Lancashire vaccine centre after family member tests positive

Boris Johnson has cancelled his planned visit to a Lancashire vaccination centre after a member of his household tested positive for Covid.

Number 10 confirmed today that the Prime Minister will not be carrying out the visit to Burnley as a ‘safety precaution’.

A spokesperson said Johnson will ‘follow the guidance for vaccinated close contacts, including daily testing and limiting contact with others’. 

The Prime Minister has not said anything publicly about the situation, but tweeted this morning to thank England’s deputy chief medical officer Sir Jonathan Van Tam following the announcement that he was leaving his role.

Number 10 / Flickr

This comes after Johnson admitted to attending a Downing Street garden party during the country’s first national lockdown.

An email shared with ITV News revealed this week that over 100 members of staff had been invited to a garden party at Downing Street ‘to make the most of the nice weather’ during the height of the pandemic in May 2020.

The email, which was sent by the Prime Minister’s Principal Private Secretary Martin Reynolds, read: “Hi all… After what has been an incredibly busy period we thought it would be nice to make the most of the lovely weather and have some socially distanced drinks in the No10 garden this evening.

“Please join us from 6pm and bring your own booze!”

Johnson admitted to attending the party at yesterday’s PMQs, where he offered his ‘heartfelt’ apologies before saying he had ‘learned enough to know there were things we simply did not get right’.

He told the commons: “I know people up and down the country have made huge sacrifices and I understand the anger and rage they feel that people in Downing Street were not following those rules.

“I regret the way the event was handled and I wish we could have done things differently.”