1mMillions in England to move into tier 4 Covid rules on Boxing Day
A further six million people in England will enter tier 4 lockdown from Boxing Day increasing the population in the highest tier to 24 million.
The health secretary also warned of another new variant of coronavirus from South Africa which is even more transmissible. The latest statistics show in the past 24 hours there have been 39,237 new cases, the highest daily total recorded to date, and 744 deaths have been recorded within 28 days of a positive test, which brings the total of those who have died to 69,051.