Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to visit Scotland on Thursday despite the country’s first minister questioning whether the trip is necessary.
Mr Johnson is expected to emphasise the strength of the UK working together in the fight against Covid-19. He is also likely to thank staff involved in responding to the pandemic.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has questioned whether his trip is “essential”.
Asked at her daily coronavirus briefing on Wednesday how she felt about the expected visit while strict travel restrictions were in place, Ms Sturgeon replied she was “not ecstatic” about it. She argued that leaders should abide by the same rules they impose on the general public, adding that she had herself rejected a suggested visit to a vaccine centre in Aberdeen for this reason.
Downing Street, however, insisted it was important for the prime minister to be “visible and accessible” across the whole of the UK during the pandemic.
