Recommendation COVID-M2.18: Devolved Nations COBR Attendance
From Module 2: Core Decision-Making, published 20 November 2025.
Recommendation
The UK government should invite the devolved administrations, as a matter of standard practice, to nominate relevant ministers and officials to attend COBR meetings in the event of relevant whole-system civil emergencies that have the potential to have UK-wide effects.
In brief (written by this site)
In its March 2026 response, the UK Government accepted the recommendation, agreeing that devolved government representatives should be invited to COBR and associated taskforce meetings where relevant, while stating that attendance decisions remain on a case-by-case basis for the meeting chair under the Amber Book (Cabinet Office response, Mar 2026). The record holds no update since the Cabinet Office's response of March 2026 (Cabinet Office response, Mar 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The government agrees that representatives from devolved governments should be invited to COBR meetings and associated Taskforce meetings where relevant.
The government is committed to ensuring a coordinated response to national crises. As set out in the Amber Book, devolved government ministers and officials are invited to relevant meetings, including COBR, whenever appropriate. This would typically occur when a crisis impacts, or has the potential to impact, the devolved governments. Devolved governments’ response structures exist alongside this.
All decisions regarding the invitation and participation of external representatives outside of the UK government, including those from the devolved governments, are made on a case-by-case basis. This decision rests with the Chair of the respective meeting, whether that be the Chair of COBR or the Taskforce. This approach ensures that participation is tailored to the specific nature and impact of the crisis.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Cabinet Office has been found in the sources searched (last checked 20 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response