UK

Boris Johnson has confirmed he will not introduce any further COVID restrictions in England before Christmas, but warned that the situation remains “finely balanced” ahead of the New Year. In a video posted on social media and released by Downing Street, the prime minister said “people can go ahead with their Christmas plans” but urges

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not announced further restrictions today – but said he is following the data “hour by hour” and warned the rules could still be tightened in the days to come. The PM said the data is “under constant review”, with the situation “extremely difficult” and the “arguments either way are very,

Dominic Raab says he cannot make “hard, fast guarantees” that more restrictions won’t be imposed in the run-up to Christmas. However the deputy prime minister said he believes Britons will have a “much better Christmas than last year”. Mr Raab told Kay Burley: “I think we will have a much better Christmas than last year

Retired teachers and career-switchers are being urged to come forward to help with COVID staff shortages in the new year. Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi is asking them to temporarily help plug gaps in order to maintain face-to-face teaching. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant is expected to force an increasing number of teachers to

Sajid Javid has not ruled out plans for a two-week circuit breaker after Christmas, as he accused those unwilling to have the vaccine of having a “damaging impact” on society. When pushed on reports that ministers are drawing up plans to introduce more restrictions after Christmas, the health secretary told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips on

Extra restrictions are needed within days to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by Omicron, according to senior government scientists. Sky News understands experts who produce advice for ministers believe there are now “hundreds of thousands” of infections every day, many more than the number of official cases recorded on the daily dashboard. Even if transmission

The UK has reported 10,059 more Omicron cases – three times as many as were recorded yesterday. It takes the total number of cases of the new COVID variant to 24,968. Yesterday, 3,201 cases were reported. Follow the latest COVID updates in our live blog The daily figures, released by the UK Health Security Agency

Officials are drawing up plans for a two-week circuit breaker lockdown after Christmas which would include a ban on indoor mixing, according to reports. Draft regulations are being prepared which would ban meeting others indoors except for work purposes, and that pubs and restaurants would be limited to outdoor service only, according to The Times.

Four children who are believed to be related have died in a house fire in south London. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters were sent to Collingwood Road, Sutton, just before 7pm on Thursday. Crews faced an “intense blaze” throughout the whole of the ground floor of the

Every person infected with the Omicron COVID variant is believed to be passing it on to between three and five others on average, a senior government scientist has said. Dr Susan Hopkins, the UK Health Security Agency’s chief medical adviser, told MPs on the Commons health committee that for Omicron, the R value in the

The UK has recorded its higher-ever number of coronavirus cases, with 78,610 registered in the latest 24-hour period. England’s chief medical officer warned of worse to come as the Omicron variant continues to spread at an “absolutely phenomenal pace” across the country. Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Professor Chris Whitty said daily COVID-19

A bouncer who murdered her partner’s child, toddler Star Hobson, has been sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 25 years. Star’s mother Frankie Smith was handed a jail term of eight years after she was convicted of causing or allowing her daughter’s death. After the couple, from Keighley in West Yorkshire,

Boris Johnson has suffered the biggest Conservative rebellion since the 2019 general election as almost 100 Tory MPs opposed the introduction of COVID certificates for nightclubs and large events in England. In a House of Commons vote that immediately raised further questions over the prime minister’s leadership, more than a quarter of Tory MPs opposed

People in Scotland should limit socialising to just three households amid rising cases of the Omicron variant, Nicola Sturgeon has said. Setting out the guidance, Ms Sturgeon said: “Turning to Christmas Day specifically, or Christmas Eve or Boxing Day or whenever you have your main family celebration, we are not asking you to cancel or

The health secretary has said the Omicron variant now represents more than 20% of COVID cases in England. Sajid Javid said the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimates that the current number of daily infections is around 200,000. He also said Omicron, which is thought to be much more transmissible than previous variants, represents more

At least one patient has died with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, the prime minister has said. Speaking during a visit to a vaccination clinic near Paddington, in west London, Boris Johnson said: “Sadly yes Omicron is producing hospitalisations and sadly at least one patient has been confirmed to have died with Omicron. “So I

Everyone aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster vaccine before the end of the year to combat the threat of rising Omicron variant cases, Boris Johnson has announced. The prime minister said he was launching the “Omicron Emergency Booster National Mission” to encourage everyone who is eligible to

The UK has reported 1,239 additional confirmed cases of the Omicron variant – the highest daily rise and nearly double the previous high recorded on Saturday. That takes the total numbers of cases of the variant to 3,137 in the UK. Of those, 1,196 new cases were reported across England with 2,953 overall recorded. In

Another 633 Omicron cases have been found in the UK – the biggest daily increase since the COVID-19 variant has been detected in the country. The latest figure brings the total number of confirmed Omicron cases to 1,898 across the country, the UK health security agency said. In England, another 618 confirmed cases of the

The Omicron variant could cause between 25,000 to 75,000 deaths in England over the next five months if no additional measures are taken beyond Plan B, according to experts. New modelling from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) used experimental data to look at how Omicron may transmit as the country heads