With the possibility of the coronavirus restrictions being eased to allow families to gather over Christmas, was the same consideration given to Eid or more recently Diwali.
Matt Hancock faced questions in the social care select committee and he took questions on why other festivals were not given the same importance.
Mark Logan MP asked the Health Secretary: What will Christmas look like this year?
Mr Hancock responded: I don’t yet know Mark. It won’t look the same as normal that’s for sure. It’s important that we continue to respect the spread of the virus. I’m not leading on the discussions with the devolved authorities on what the exact measures will be.
Mr Logan then followed up with concerns from his constituents that their Eid celebrations were cancelled. In November, he said that communities felt that the Diwali celebrations were cancelled. He then asked the Health Secretary if they have considered the perception of fairness when they are looking to Christmas?
Matt Hancock responded saying: I’m very sensitive to this point, we did think about it and we engaged and we discussed it. The conclusion that we have come to, which I agree with very strongly is that Christmas is a national holiday. It is the biggest national holiday we have. Of course, it has particular importance for Christians, but it is an important national holiday for everybody in this country. Whilst we considered the impact on those of other faiths and none. Christmas is a special time for everyone in this country.
