Boris Johnson is holding talks with his Cabinet this lunchtime amid warnings from scientists over the new strain of COVID-19 and surging infections.
The prime minister is hosting a cabinet call now and will hold a news conference at 4pm with England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty and the chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance, Downing Street has said.
Mr Johnson said on Friday he hoped that England would not need to go into a third lockdown after Christmas, which a number of experts have warned is possible.
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However, he held an unscheduled meeting late into the night the same day to discuss whether action may need to be taken more swiftly.
Reports in the Telegraph and The Sun suggest this could include travel restrictions being imposed on the South East and London. The government is yet to issue any response to the reports.
Government advisers have warned ministers they believe the new variant of COVID-19 spreads more quickly than previous strains, and that relaxations in public attitudes risk offsetting the benefits of the vaccination rollout over the course of the coming months, Sky News understands.
The new variant is believed to be fuelling the increase in coronavirus cases across the South East.
Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), today warned the new strain is "a real cause for concern" and "acting urgently now is critical".
He tweeted: "The new strain of COVID-19 is worrying & real cause for concern & extra caution. Research is ongoing to understand more, but acting urgently now is critical. There is no part of the UK & globally that should not be concerned. As in many countries, the situation is fragile."
He said the "impact of increased interactions over the festive period is a huge concern" amid the new variant and a surge in infections.
Up to three households are able to mix in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland between December 23 and 27, but the limit is two households in Wales.
Sir Jeremy said while the pace of progress that has been achieved on vaccines, treatments and diagnostics has been "phenomenal" and should be celebrated, he warned against "complacency", saying: "We must be realistic. This pandemic is not over. We have still not changed the fundamentals."
He added: "We may be entering a less predictable phase."
It is understood the government's scientific advisers do not see any evidence the new strain causes more serious disease, or would be resistant to current vaccines.
However, there is concern that the announcement of effective vaccines in recent weeks may have had a negative impact on compliance with rules, including self-isolation requirements.
It is expected the SAGE advisory group will be convened on Monday to work up a series of recommendations for how Tier 3 restrictions could be strengthened in light of the increased transmissibility of the new strain.
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A member of the scientific advisory panel earlier told Sky News the existing tier system in England did not appear to be effective in preventing the increase in cases, and predicted tighter measures would be needed.
Professor John Edmunds said: "I think we are going to have to look at these measures and perhaps tighten them up, we really will. It's a horrible thing to have to say but we are in quite a difficult position."
Labour today called on the prime minister to set out how he intends to stem the spread of the coronavirus, which it said is "again out of control in parts of the country", in an address to the nation.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "This is an incredibly serious moment and people are worried. The prime minister has refused to take action to limit the virus' spread over Christmas. All he has offered so far is confusion and indecision. He must now address the nation to explain what action he will be taking."
The NHS in Kent announced yesterday that it was suspending non-urgent hospital procedures, saying it was treating double the number of patients it had at the peak of the first wave in April.
The move came as the latest official figures showed the R number for the UK was estimated to have risen to between 1.1 and 1.2 - which means the disease is growing again.
Huge swathes of the country - around 38 million people, 68% of the population in England - are now living under the toughest Tier 3 restrictions.
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2020-12-19 13:30:00Z
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