New Omicron Covid variant in UK as two people test positive

Hours after it emerged that a more transmissible Covid strain had arrived in the UK, the prime minister announced new restrictions to try and slow its spread.

Boris Johnson attempted to reassure the public that the current vaccines would offer some protection against the omicron variant.

But in truth, scientists don’t yet know how much. Two cases, in Essex and Nottingham, have been detected, both believed to be linked to travel from South Africa.

In the last hour the prime minister said rules on wearing masks in England will be tightened, everyone coming into the country will need to take a PCR test and more people will be offered the booster jab.