Boris Johnson has defended the new tier system for England in the face of a growing Conservative backbench revolt – insisting the country needs ‘simplicity and clarity’. There are some encouraging signs about the impact of the lockdown: the R number, the rate at which the virus is transmitted, may now be below 1.0, the lowest level since mid-August.

But it’s rising in Wales – where new restrictions will be imposed from next week, although details have not yet been finalised.

Latest figures show there have been another 16,022 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours and a further 521 deaths have been reported, which brings the total to 57,551.

Boris Johnson defends tougher Covid-19 tier system as he faces rebellion