Calls for same Christmas COVID guidance in every UK country – with travel between nations ‘inevitable’
Politicians are asking Britain's nations to agree on rules ahead of the festive holidays - with the Lib Dems and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland asking for a 'four nations summit' to create Christmas COVID guidance.
Politicians are warning that travel between nations in Britain is “inevitable” over the Christmas period – with calls for country leaders to all adopt the same guidelines during the holidays.
Currently, restrictions differ between each nation in the UK.
England and Scotland have both adopted their own tier systems, whereas Wales have entered a 17-day ‘firebreak’ lockdown similar to the one seen nationwide in March.
Northern Ireland has entered a partial lockdown.
But now there are calls for Britain’s countries to agree on rules ahead of the festive holidays – with the Lib Dems and Alliance Party of Northern Ireland asking for a ‘four nations summit’ to create co-ordinated Christmas COVID guidance.
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"I think for Christmas there has to be a coordinated plan" Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey MP tells #BBCBreakfast the problem is the "different rules in different parts of the UK". His party is calling for a #coronavirus Christmas strategy. https://t.co/oKtNQP8ZJOpic.twitter.com/wWOTE8p8KX
A letter – signed by Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie, Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds and Alliance Party deputy leader Stephen Farry – asks for “work across governments to explore workable solutions that can enable travel to happen safely.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Davey said: “The problem I see at the moment are different rules in different parts of the United Kingdom.
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“I think, for Christmas, there has to be a co-ordinated plan, as millions of people normally travel across the United Kingdom, across the four nations, to see their families – and they need clear guidance.
“They’re trying to plan Christmas now and they’re not getting the guidance from the government.”
Responding to the calls for Christmas COVID guidance, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The PM has been clear of his ambition to ensure that people may celebrate Christmas as a family this year.
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“That’s why we have introduced a range of measures in order to control the spread of the virus, reduce the R rate and save lives.”
Under current restrictions in Greater Manchester, different households are banned from mixing indoors.
The Rule of Six – which renders gatherings of more than six people illegal – will also complicate Christmas; which is a time where many people from different areas congregate under a single roof.
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Manchester man jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of woman on train
Emily Sergeant
A man has been jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of a woman on board a train to Manchester.
Following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation, Nisan Fernando Kurukulasuriya, of Troutbeck Road in Altrincham, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last month.
At the trail last month, the court heard how, on Monday 20 April 2026, 39-year-old Kurukulasuriya was on a train from Stoke to Manchester and sat next to a woman he didn’t know, who was on the phone.
He then sexually assaulted her repeatedly, doing so again even after being pushed away by the woman.
The woman then noticed that Kurukulasuriya had exposed himself and was masturbating in front of her. She shouted at him, and in response, he stood up and ran away to leave the train – but the woman immediately got up to report the incident to staff.
When the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, the woman alerted a member of staff while Kurukulasuriya was stood only a few meters away, and BTP were subsequently called straight away.
Police quickly attended and arrested Kurukulasuriya.
When police interviewed him, Kurukulasuriya showed no remorse for his actions and refused to answer any questions put to him.
After pleading guilty to Sexual Assault and Outraging Public Decency at a previous court hearing, Kurukulasuriya was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, and was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will bar him from sitting next to any woman he doesn’t know on public transport, as well as being put on thensex offenders register for 10 years.
BTP Detective Sergeant, Mark Haviland, called Kurukulasuriya a ‘despicable man’ who targeted a woman travelling alone ‘for his own sick sexual gratification’.
Featured Image – BTP
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GMP officer sentenced after hitting pedestrian during police chase in Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A police officer has been sentenced this week after he struck and ‘seriously injured’ a pedestrian following a pursuit of a suspected drink driver in Rochdale.
35-year-old Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer PC Sam Lockley pleaded guilty back in January 2026 following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.
The IOPC investigation established that, in the early hours of the morning on 19 November 2023, PC Lockley was driving a marked police vehicle with the lights and sirens activated, and attempted to stop a suspected drunk driver on Drake Street in Rochdale.
A short pursuit that commenced but stopped merely a minute later after the police vehicle collided with a pedestrian on the footpath of Rochdale Road at approximately 3:30am.
The evidence gathered indicated that PC Lockley failed to slow down as he approached and drove through the red traffic lights at the Kingsway junction, and was travelling at a speed of 96mph in a 30mph zone.
The pedestrian suffered ‘serious injuries’ as a result of the collision, and received extensive medical treatment following.
At a hearing back in February of this year, PC Lockley received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to carry out 15 days community service, while also receiving two-year driving disqualification.
Also following the investigation, the IOPC decided that Lockley should face a gross misconduct hearing to face allegations that his manner of driving breached the police standards of professional behaviour.
“We continue to liaise with the force about disciplinary proceedings,” the IOPC concluded.
IOPC Director Amanda Rowe added: “My sympathies remain with the man, who sustained serious injuries, and all those affected by the incident.
“This was a complex investigation which relied on extensive amounts of data and expert analysis and the evidence showed PC Lockley drove at excessive speeds at night-time and although he was responding to a report of a suspected drink driver, it does not excuse his manner of driving.
“PC Lockley admitted he drove in a dangerous manner when he didn’t address hazards or warnings during the pursuit and ultimately by the time he saw the pedestrian, he was travelling too fast to avoid a collision.
“His actions that day have had long-lasting consequences and he has now been held accountable.”
The Manc -
28th October 2020 
