Boris Johnson will announce a new lockdown tonight as he warns that rapidly increasing cases of Covid-19 threaten to overwhelm the NHS.
The prime minister will set out “further steps” in a televised address at 8pm after Matt Hancock, the health secretary, admitted that the existing tiers were failing to stop the spread driven by a new variant.
MPs are to be recalled on Wednesday in a clear sign that they will be required to vote through measures beyond merely the universal application of Tier 4 across England. The Covid-19 alert level will be raised to five – the highest setting, according to government sources.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The spread of the new variant of Covid-19 has led to rapidly escalating case numbers
