Coronavirus: Could areas of the UK lift the lockdown at different times?

The powers of the devolved nations mean approaches to Covid-19 could differ, writes Sean O'Grady

A police officer wears a protective face mask in Westminster yesterday (Reuters)

The coronavirus, as is all too obvious, is no respecter of national boundaries – or any other political boundaries for that matter. However, the devolved administrations of the UK, in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are able to respond to the spread of Covid-19 in different ways, and have certainly done so.

The most recent example is the firm declaration – before the UK/English authorities – by the first ministers of Wales and Scotland that the current lockdown will not be relaxed next week, so far as those nations are concerned.

They are able to do this because they have existing devolved powers (such as complete control over health) and because the emergency legislation in the Coronavirus Act also devolved some of the new draconian powers to them. The three devolved administrations also have their own independent chief medical officers and chief scientific advisers. They tend to agree on the science and appear to offer very similar guidance across the UK, but the basic approach has sometimes varied.