IN AN ideal world the whole of the UK would leave lockdown together - but "we will do the best for Wales".

That was the view of the Welsh Government's Minister for Mental Health, Well-being and Welsh Language, Eluned Morgan, today as she gave a briefing on the latest coronavirus situation in Wales.

She was responding to questions from the media after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said discussions will continue with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and the other devolved nations over whether the UK will leave lockdown at the same time.

But Ms Morgan said that, while this was the goal, Wales would do what was best for people in Wales.

She said: "The relationship between the governments has ebbed and flowed. At times they are happy to engage with us intensively and other times they don't speak to us for months.

"In an ideal world, we would like to be coming out of the lockdown together but we will be doing what is best for Wales."

She said that Wales leaving lockdown in sync with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland would be the ideal.

She added: "In an ideal world it would have been great if we had gone into this together and come out of this together.

"In particular when it comes to tourism, ideally we need to be seeing how we can work together. It's much more profitable for the sector if English people are able to travel.

"We will not be working to a fixed date timetable, we will be working towards the data."

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said it was “encouraging” that coronavirus infection appeared to be falling across the whole of the UK following the mass vaccine rollout.

Mr Johnson was speaking from a mass coronavirus vaccination centre at Cwmbran Stadium in Cwmbran, south Wales, as part of a series of Covid-19-related visits in the country on Wednesday.

Asked if he wanted the whole of the UK to leave lockdown in sync, he said: “We have continuous conversations with Mark Drakeford, with other representatives of the devolved administrations, about how to do it, just as we work on the vaccination programme together."

Also at the Welsh Government briefing, Eluned Morgan was asked whether she thought the Prime Minister's journey to Wales today was essential.

She said: "We have a stay at home message and you should be staying at home. We're not sure if it is an essential visit but he is the prime minister and has to make the judgement.

"In an ideal world as many people as possible should stay at home and in an ideal world perhaps this should have happened in this instance."