Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab has revealed he has cancelled the Ministry of Justice Christmas party, and will instead be holding “appropriate drinks at a smaller scale” because of the threat of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Mr Raab is the latest government minister to suggest that party plans for the festive season should be scaled back, after cabinet colleague Therese Coffey said people should avoid kissing under the mistletoe this year.
And UK Health Security Agency chief Jenny Harries, a senior adviser to the prime minister, has said people should not socialise “when we don’t particularly need to”.
But the DPM insisted that it remained a matter of personal responsibility for individuals to decide what precautions they want to take.
So far, domestic restrictions announced by government in response to Omicron have amounted only to mandatory mask-wearing in shops and public transport and self-isolation for those coming into contact with people infected with the new variant.
The approach stands in stark contrast to the tougher controls in some other European countries, such as Ireland where nightclubs have been closed and social gatherings at home limited to three households.
Mr Raab told Sky News’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday that the government was always subjected to the “Goldilocks criticism”, with some people saying it was doing too much while others say it is not doing enough.
“The rule is very clear,” he said. “People can go on and have Christmas parties.
“Of course employers will want to think common-sense about how they do that. We don’t want to substitute for that discretion and that common sense
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“We won’t be having a Ministry of Justice-wide Christmas party this year. But we will be having, I think, appropriate drinks at a smaller scale.”
Asked whether workers should think twice about turning up to Christmas events laid on by their employers this year, Mr Raab said: “The right thing to do is for every employer to take a common sense view.
“Let me be absolutely clear, the government wants people to be able to enjoy Christmas this year. That means people should feel free to go and enjoy those celebrations.
“Every employer will think about the right way to do it and I’m the same as anyone else.
“The guidance we’re offering is that, first of all, you can have those Christmas events. Second of all, we want to allow the common-sense discretion of employers to make the right call.”
