THE UK Government's daily coronavirus press conferences will no longer take place on weekends because of low TV ratings, Downing Street has confirmed.
Boris Johnson's spokesperson said the televised briefings will only take place on weekdays as Westminster moves into a “new phase” of tackling Covid-19.
The Prime Minister will lead the conferences once a week but could appear more regularly and ministers and government medical and scientific advisers will still attend.
The spokesman said: “It is just a fact that the numbers of people viewing at weekends do tend to be significantly lower.”
“The PM will do a press conference every week, it’s possible he could do more.
“We are absolutely committed to keeping people updated, we will be continuing to do this through regular press conferences, media interviews and parliamentary updates.”
READ MORE: Boris Johnson 'told Italian PM he wanted herd immunity in early March'
But some of the Sunday briefings have had high ratings, with more than 27.5 million tuning in to Johnson's plan to ease lockdown last month. It was one of the most-watched TV broadcasts in British history, with higher viewing numbers than the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony and the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Asked if the move is a sign the Government is stepping down its messaging, the spokesman said: “We have moved into a new phase of the pandemic response.
“We have obviously taken some cautious steps with easing the social distancing measures, more schools are now open to more pupils, and you are seeing more easing in the rules around social contact.
“So we are moving into a different phase of the response but in terms of the pandemic it continues to be the absolute priority for every department across Whitehall.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel