Boris Johnson cancels trip to India as cases in the country rise following new variant

The Prime Minister has cancelled his trip to India as cases of coronavirus rapidly rise in the country following news of a new variant.

The Prime Minister has cancelled his trip to India after cases of coronavirus rise in the country following news of a new variant (Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire).

A Downing Street spokesperson said the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Johnson would speak later this month to “agree and launch their ambitious plans for the future partnership.”

The two men will meet in person later on in the year, Downing Street added.

The trip – which was going to be Mr Johnson’s first major overseas visit since taking office – was due to take place originally in January but was cancelled due to lockdown.

It was hoped that the trip would boost trade and investment ties between the two countries.

The news comes as cases of coronavirus cases are on the rise in India following the news of a new variant affecting the country.

It’s capital city Delhi has been put in lockdown as figures reveal that more than 200,000 cases have been recorded across India since April 15.

Speaking this morning on BBC Good Morning Scotland, Professor Linda Bauld said the situation in India is “very serious”, noting that her colleagues working in a testing centre in Delhi were “overwhelmed”.

The public health expert from the University of Edinburgh said: “They don’t have enough testing capacity and one in four cases in Delhi that they test is positive.

“Over 2,000 cases a day over the last week so the situation in India is very serious and may be caused by this new variant but we need more data.”

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