Boris Johnson says cancelling Christmas this year is ‘very much not the plan’

The Prime Minister announced he doesn’t ‘want or expect’ to stop people seeing their loved ones due to Covid, which will surely fill the nation with hope

Boris Johnson has insisted cancelling Christmas this year due to coronavirus infections is “very much not the plan” as the booster vaccine roll-out kicks off across the country.

The Prime Minister said he doesn’t “want or expect” to ban people from seeing their loved ones as he did last festive season.

Mr Johnson faced fierce criticism last year after he ordered people to stay at home for Christmas as cases soared – just days after saying it would be “inhuman” to cancel festivities.

The PM had come under fire for repeated last minute screeching U-turns during the first year of the Covid pandemic.

On his plane to New York, he told reporters: “We certainly don’t want or expect to have to do anything like last Christmas… That is very much not the plan”.

It comes after Health Secretary Sajid Javid insisted ministers are not expecting “any more lockdowns” and promised Christmas would not be cancelled this year.

Experts believe that Covid booster jabs, which are being offered to the over-80s from this week, will be key to avoiding further restrictions later this winter.

Vaccines chiefs have recommended that about 30m people, including the over-50s, frontline health and social care workers and those with underlying health conditions, should get one.

Mr Johnson last week set out his new Covid winter plan which includes a toolkit of contingency measures if the virus begins to spiral out of control.

Mandatory masks, vaccine passports and working from home could all be brought in to prevent another surge overwhelming hospitals.

Cases appear to be levelling out however medics have warned that the NHS could face pressure from a combined flu and Covid crisis.

The PM has ruled that another lockdown would be a final resort if all other restrictions failed to curb any surge.