United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson today cancelled his visit to India later this month. Johnson, who was scheduled to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day parade on January 26, called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to express his regrets.
The press release from the UK’s prime minister’s office said that “He hopes to be able to visit India in the first half of 2021, and ahead of the UK’s G7 Summit that Prime Minister Modi is due to attend as a guest”.
During the call, the leaders also reportedly talked about their “shared commitment to the bilateral relationship” and will continue to develop the close association between the countries including the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision to cancel the visit came a day after Boris Johnson announced a new stay-at-home lockdown for the United Kingdom as his medical chiefs warned that the country's medical infrastructure was under threat of being overwhelmed by the rising infection rates.
"In light of the national lockdown announced last night, and the speed at which the new coronavirus variant is spreading, the Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.