London: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has cancelled his upcoming visit to India hours after he announced a fresh lockdown in the country due to the new strain of coronavirus.

It can be recalled that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited Johnson to be the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2021 in New Delhi. This was to be Johnson’s first bilateral visit after the UK’s departure from the European Union.

A statement from the UK PM’s Downing Street office read, “The prime minister spoke to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi this morning, to express his regret that he will be unable to visit India later this month as planned.”

“In light of the national lockdown announced last night, and the speed at which the new coronavirus variant is spreading, the Prime Minister said that it was important for him to remain in the UK so he can focus on the domestic response to the virus,” the statement added.

The statement further read, “The leaders underlined their shared commitment to the bilateral relationship, and to continuing to build on the close collaboration between our countries — including in response to the pandemic.”

Johnson’s office said that the PM “hopes to be able to visit India in the first half of 2021, and ahead of the UK’s G7 Summit that Prime Minister Modi is due to attend as a guest.”

The UK government, a few hours ago, announced a complete lockdown for the country, which could last until mid-February.

This is the third of its kind since the coronavirus pandemic began in the country early last year.

In a televised address on Monday, he urged people across the country to “stay at home” except for permitted reasons, echoing the message back in March 2020.

Under the new lockdown, people are only allowed to go to work if it’s impossible to work from home, such as construction workers.

(with IANS inputs)