London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

PM Boris Johnson says virus response shows 'might of UK union'

The response to the coronavirus pandemic has shown the "sheer might" of the UK union, Boris Johnson has said ahead of a visit to Scotland.

But the SNP said the prime minister's visit showed he was "in a panic" about rising support for Scots independence.

Mr Johnson will be in Scotland on Thursday to meet local members of the armed forces and their families.

He said troops had done "vital work" to support the NHS during the pandemic and praised Treasury job retention schemes.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she had no plans to meet Mr Johnson during his visit, but said she would continue work with his government on the "immediate priority" of tackling coronavirus.

Mr Johnson's visit comes on the one-year anniversary of him taking office as UK prime minister.

He said he had "pledged to be a prime minister for every corner of the United Kingdom", and said the response to the pandemic had shown his government's commitment to the whole of the UK.

He said: "The last six months have shown exactly why the historic and heartfelt bond that ties the four nations of our country together is so important and the sheer might of our union has been proven once again.

"In Scotland, the UK's magnificent armed forces have been on the ground doing vital work to support the NHS, from setting up and running mobile testing sites to airlifting critically ill patients to hospitals from some of Scotland's most remote communities.

"And the UK Treasury stepped in to save the jobs of a third of Scotland's entire workforce and kept the wolves at bay for tens of thousands of Scottish businesses.

"More than ever, this shows what we can achieve when we stand together, as one United Kingdom."

Although the whole of the UK entered lockdown in the same week, each constituent part has eased restrictions in a different way and at a different rate.

Phase 3 of Scotland's route map out of lockdown began last week, as pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and barbers were allowed to reopen.

Restaurants, pubs and cafes have been allowed to reopen in England since 4 July, along with holiday accommodation - including hotels, B&Bs, cottages, campsites and caravan parks.

Hairdressers have also reopened, as have libraries, community centres, bingo halls, cinemas, museums, galleries, funfairs and theme parks, children's play parks and amusement arcades.

Professional football has also resumed behind closed doors.


Local development

Mr Johnson is also to set out details of a £50m funding package for Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, the latest in a series of "city and region deals" which see the Scottish and UK governments each pledge cash to various areas for spending on new infrastructure and local development schemes.

The Scottish government is also committing £50m to the "Islands growth deal", which will target sectors including tourism, energy and skills.

At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Mr Johnson was visiting due to recent polls suggesting support for independence was on the rise.

He said: "Yesterday the Tory party held a political cabinet with the prime minister in a panic about the majority in increasing support for Scottish independence. Apparently their great strategy amounts to more UK cabinet ministers coming to Scotland.

"Can I tell the prime minister - the more Scotland sees of this UK government, the more convinced they are the need for Scotland's independence."

Mr Blackford's comments echoed a joke Ms Sturgeon had posted on Twitter, suggesting that Mr Johnson visiting Scotland would amount to a birthday present for her.

At her coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, the first minister said she had "no plans" to meet Mr Johnson on this trip, but is "always happy to meet the prime minister if he wants to do so".

She added: "We're all very focused on the immediate priority of continuing to suppress Covid and I look forward to working with the UK government on that basis.

"We have got our political disagreements, and disagreements over aspects of Scotland and the UK's future, and I'm sure we'll continue to discuss those constructively as well."

Ms Sturgeon has previously suggested that her government's response to the pandemic was helping convince Scots of the merits of independence.

In an interview with Scotland on Sunday marking her 50th birthday, she said: "As we have stopped shouting about independence, and shouting to ourselves about how we go about getting independence, and just focused on [dealing with the crisis] - it has allowed people to take a step back and say 'well actually that's the benefit of autonomous decision-making' and also 'perhaps things would be better if we had a bit more autonomous decision-making,' and to come to their own conclusions."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×