The UK has recorded 191 more coronavirus-related deaths and 38,975 new infections in the latest 24-hour period.
In the last seven days, infection numbers have risen 15.3% on the week before, while the weekly death count is up 26.1%.
A total of 133,674 people have now died with coronavirus in the UK, the official data showed.
Today's daily government figures compare with 37,489 infections and 209 fatalities within 28 days of a positive test reported on Tuesday, and 35,847 cases and 149 deaths announced this time last week.
Yesterday's figures were the biggest daily increase in COVID-related deaths in six months, at a time when new infections are expected to rise further with children returning to school.
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However, deaths are still lower than in previous waves of the pandemic, with nearly two-thirds of the UK population fully vaccinated.
Government data showed that of the 91,940,381 jabs given in the UK as of Tuesday, 48,319,435 were first doses, a rise of 26,624 on the previous day.
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And 43,620,946 were second doses, an increase of 85,848.
It means 88.9% of people aged 16 and over in the UK have had at least one vaccine shot and 80.3% are now double-jabbed.
It was announced on Tuesday that four in five people aged 16 and over in the UK have now received both doses of the jab, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid hailing it as a "phenomenal achievement".
Mr Javid said today he is "confident" that a booster programme will be rolled out this month, but is awaiting advice on who should be eligible.
Last week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared to confirm that a booster programme will begin this month, saying older and vulnerable people are the priority ahead of the winter months.
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi also told MPs this week that the booster rollout is "ready to go" as soon as the scientific advice for the scheme is signed off.
Meanwhile, health officials are expected to decide soon whether children aged 12 to 15 will be able to get the COVID jab in the coming days.
He told Sky News: "I want to give them the breathing space, it's their independent view and that's exactly what it should be. But I would expect to hear from them in the next few days."
Asked how he would feel about children of that age group of his own having jabs, he said: "I don't think it's appropriate for me to pass a judgment because I'm waiting for an independent view."
A plan to hike National Insurance contributions will raise "enough money" to pay for reforms to the care sector in England and is "a very Conservative thing to do", Sajid Javid has said.
The health secretary told Kay Burley that while "I don't like raising taxes", without these changes, NHS waiting lists would have reached 13 million people in three years' time - the equivalent to one person in every family.
But he later clarified that "no responsible health secretary" could guarantee the money raised will clear the backlog.
Image:Sajid Javid told Sky News that raising NI contributions given the circumstances is 'a very Conservative thing to do'
It comes as MPs prepare to vote on the biggest tax rise for decades to fund the NHS and social care reforms.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25 percentage points to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the "unpredictable and catastrophic costs" faced by many.
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A social care package, which the prime minister has called "the biggest catch-up programme" in the NHS's history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 'health and social care levy' from April 2022.
The government is confident it will win the vote later on Wednesday, but concerns remain both about how the £12bn will be raised and how much of it will be directed towards the care sector.
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Asked if he is sure he is in the right party, as the Conservative 2019 manifesto promised not to increase taxes, Mr Javid told Sky News: "Yes, I am sure of that.
"I think what we have announced in the last 24 hours actually is a very Conservative thing to do.
Image:On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25 percentage points to pay for reforms to the social care system in England
"We are committed as a party to the NHS, I want the NHS to be there for everyone - a world class health service free at the point of use paid through general taxation.
"I, as health secretary, when I came into this job a couple of months ago and I was told that the waiting list - already at 5.5 million because of the global pandemic and the pressures that has created - could go to as high as 13 million in three years' time, I can't tolerate that, I can't accept that.
"So something had to be done and I think the British public understand that.
"Similarly, with adult social care, I think the fact that some people have this risk of catastrophic costs of care, that is not acceptable where you have some one in seven people that have to pay over £100,000 for their care.
"And I think it is a very Conservative thing to do to give people that confidence to know that their lifetime cost of care can be capped for them - the plan to cap it at £86,000 I think is the right thing to do to do it properly and sustainably.
"I don't like raising taxes, I want taxes to be as low as they possibly can be, but I think people understand if we want the NHS to be for us there always, doing its job, then we have got to properly fund that - and the same applies to social care."
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Is the social care plan fair or unfair?
Asked if the sum collected from rising National Insurance contributions will raise enough money to fix the current problems in the social care system, the health secretary said: "I think this is enough money."
Pushed again on whether he can guarantee the money will clear the NHS backlog, he added: "No responsible health secretary can make that kind of guarantee."
Mr Javid later confirmed that £5.4bn raised by increasing National Insurance payments will go directly to social care.
The new social care plan was signed off by ministers at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning after days of fury from Tory backbenchers.
The 1.25 percentage point increase is expected to raise about £12bn which, in the early years, will mainly be used to fund dealing with the NHS backlog.
This includes £2.2 billion a year for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as tax changes affect the whole of the UK.
The levy will be paid by working adults including those over the state pension age.
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How Boris Johnson broke his tax pledge
Announcing the plans in the Commons, the PM said the costs of the programme will be split between individuals and businesses and "those who earn more will pay more".
The PM's plan to overhaul the social care sector includes:
• A government pledge to invest £36 billion over the next three years to help the NHS recover from the pandemic.
• To also invest in reforming the social care sector.
• A promise that from October 2023, nobody will pay more than £86,000 for their social care - regardless of their assets.
• That the government will fully cover the cost of care for those with assets under £20,000, and contribute to the cost of care for those with assets of between £20,000 and £100,000.
Making a statement in the Commons on his new proposal on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said he accepts that the measure breaks a Tory manifesto pledge not to hike National Insurance, but that it was a necessary move due to COVID financial pressures.
Image:Boris Johnson unveiled his social care reform plans in the Commons on Tuesday
"No Conservative government wants to raise taxes, I will be honest I accept this breaks a manifesto commitment. It is not something I do lightly but a global pandemic wasn't in anyone's manifesto," the PM told MPs.
"This is the right the reasonable and the fair approach. I think the people of this country understand that in their bones and they can see the enormous steps that this government and the Treasury have taken."
The PM also announced that there will be a 1.25% hike in the amount of tax that is paid on income from share dividends to help cover the costs of the social care package.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said those with "the broadest shoulders" need to "pay more".
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, he said: "The alternative is obvious: a timetable, a plan to clear waiting lists just as we did under the last Labour government, a comprehensive report planned for social care dealing with the inadequacies I have just pointed out, and driving up the equality of provision, and not just tinkering with the funding model.
"We do need to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay more and that does include asking much more of wealthier people including income from stocks, from shares, from dividends and from property."
A plan to hike National Insurance contributions will raise "enough money" to pay for reforms to the care sector in England and is "a very Conservative thing to do", Sajid Javid has said.
The health secretary told Kay Burley that while "I don't like raising taxes", without these changes, NHS waiting lists would have reached 13 million people in three years time - the equivalent to one person in every family.
But he later clarified that "no responsible health secretary" could guarantee the money raised will clear the backlog.
Image:Sajid Javid told Sky News that raising NI contributions given the circumstances is 'a very Conservative thing to do'
It comes as MPs prepare to vote on the biggest tax rise for decades to fund the NHS and social care reforms.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25 percentage points to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the "unpredictable and catastrophic costs" faced by many.
Advertisement
A social care package, which the prime minister has called "the biggest catch-up programme" in the NHS's history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 'health and social care levy' from April 2022.
The government is confident it will win the vote later on Wednesday, but concerns remain both about how the £12bn will be raised and how much of it will be directed towards the care sector.
More on Coronavirus
Asked if he is sure he is in the right party, as the Conservative 2019 manifesto promised not to increase taxes, Mr Javid told Sky News: "Yes, I am sure of that.
"I think what we have announced in the last 24 hours actually is a very Conservative thing to do.
Image:On Tuesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25 percentage points to pay for reforms to the social care system in England
"We are committed as a party to the NHS, I want the NHS to be there for everyone - a world class health service free at the point of use paid through general taxation.
"I, as health secretary, when I came into this job a couple of months ago and I was told that the waiting list - already at 5.5 million because of the global pandemic and the pressures that has created - could go to as high as 13 million in three years' time, I can't tolerate that, I can't accept that.
"So something had to be done and I think the British public understand that.
"Similarly, with adult social care, I think the fact that some people have this risk of catastrophic costs of care, that is not acceptable where you have some one in seven people that have to pay over £100,000 for their care.
"And I think it is a very Conservative thing to do to give people that confidence to know that their lifetime cost of care can be capped for them - the plan to cap it at £86,000 I think is the right thing to do to do it properly and sustainably.
"I don't like raising taxes, I want taxes to be as low as they possibly can be, but I think people understand if we want the NHS to be for us there always, doing its job, then we have got to properly fund that - and the same applies to social care."
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Is the rise in tax and the release of triple lock pensions a fair way to find funding for the UK's crippled social care system?
Asked if the sum collected from rising National Insurance contributions will raise enough money to fix the current problems in the social care system, the health secretary said: "No I think this is enough money."
Pushed again on whether he can guarantee the money will clear the NHS backlog, he added: "No responsible health secretary can make that kind of guarantee."
Mr Javid later confirmed that £5.4bn raised by increasing National Insurance payments will go directly to social care.
The new social care plan was signed off by ministers at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning after days of fury from Tory backbenchers.
The 1.25 percentage point increase is expected to raise about £12bn which, in the early years, will mainly be used to fund dealing with the NHS backlog.
This includes £2.2 billion a year for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as tax changes affect the whole of the UK.
The levy will be paid by working adults including those over the state pension age.
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Boris Johnson has acknowledged that he had to break his pledge by increasing the National Insurance contributions by 1.25% to pay for social care reform, but said that it's not something he did 'lightly'.
Announcing the plans in the Commons, the PM said the costs of the programme will be split between individuals and businesses and "those who earn more will pay more".
The PM's plan to overhaul the social care sector includes:
• A government pledge to invest £36 billion over the next three years to help the NHS recover from the pandemic.
• To also invest in reforming the social care sector.
• A promise that from October 2023, nobody will pay more than £86,000 for their social care - regardless of their assets.
• That the government will fully cover the cost of care for those with assets under £20,000, and contribute to the cost of care for those with assets of between £20,000 and £100,000.
Making a statement in the Commons on his new proposal on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said he accepts that the measure breaks a Tory manifesto pledge not to hike National Insurance, but that it was a necessary move due to COVID financial pressures.
Image:Boris Johnson unveiled his social care reform plans in the Commons on Tuesday and MPs will vote on them on Wednesday
"No Conservative government wants to raise taxes, I will be honest I accept this breaks a manifesto commitment. It is not something I do lightly but a global pandemic wasn't in anyone's manifesto," the PM told MPs.
"This is the right the reasonable and the fair approach. I think the people of this country understand that in their bones and they can see the enormous steps that this government and the Treasury have taken."
The PM also announced that there will be a 1.25% hike in the amount of tax that is paid on income from share dividends to help cover the costs of the social care package.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said those with "the broadest shoulders" need to "pay more".
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, he said: "The alternative is obvious: a timetable, a plan to clear waiting lists just as we did under the last Labour government, a comprehensive report planned for social care dealing with the inadequacies I have just pointed out, and driving up the equality of provision, and not just tinkering with the funding model.
"We do need to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay more and that does include asking much more of wealthier people including income from stocks, from shares, from dividends and from property."
MPs will vote on the proposals later on Wednesday afternoon.
Wales could lose eight of its 40 MPs under major proposals to change the country's Westminster constituencies.
Arfon, which covers part of Gwynedd, could go and the number of north-east Wales MPs could drop from six to four.
Welsh Secretary Simon Hart could face a battle for his seat as Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire is redrawn.
The Boundary Commission for Wales' initial plan would see 32 MPs in future, with finalised changes to take effect at the next general election.
The proposals, which were initially put forward by the Conservative UK government in 2012, will now be put to an eight-week public consultation so people can have their say on local or national boundaries.
But the Boundary Commission has no power to set the number of MPs and will not consider arguments around the number of constituencies
Under new Westminster rules each constituency proposed by the Boundary Commission for Wales must contain between 69,724 and 77,062 registered voters.
The only exception to that rule will be Ynys Môn, on Anglesey, which was given a "protected status" last year, meaning no changes to its name or boundaries - leaving it with 52,415 voters.
Every other constituency in Wales will see changes, with the majority changing names and some disappearing entirely by being absorbed into neighbouring constituencies.
One of the constituencies affected will be Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, the seat held by UK government cabinet member Mr Hart.
The constituency, which has 58,048 registered voters, would be redrawn to include parts of the Preseli Pembrokeshire seat held by former Conservative Welsh Secretary Stephen Crabb and would be rebranded Mid and South Pembrokeshire, along with a new Ceredigion and North Pembrokeshire seat.
The former "red wall" seats of north-east Wales could also face cuts, with Clwyd South and Vale of Clwyd disappearing.
Clwyd South, a Conservative gain from Labour in the 2019 general election, would being split between Alyn and Deeside, Wrexham and a newly-named Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency.
Another Tory gain in 2019, Vale of Clwyd, would also be absorbed by Clwyd and Delyn.
Arfon, which has 43,215 voters, will be split between Dwyfor Meirionydd and Aberconwy - with Caernarfon in the former and Bangor in the latter.
The Bridgend seat, another Conservative gain at the last election, would be split between a new constituency called Aberafan Porthcawl and a new Bridgend seat that would include parts of the current Ogmore constituency.
How were these plans decided?
The Boundary Commission said it considered several factors in developing its proposals, from geography to local and historical ties, as well as the required number of voters.
Secretary to the Boundary Commission for Wales Shereen Williams said: "We've had to propose significant changes due to the reduction in the number of Welsh constituencies and that's presented a particular challenge as we seek to develop a map which meets the conditions laid out in the (Parliamentary Constituencies) Act, but also meets the expectations of the people of Wales.
"We're confident that our proposals are a strong first attempt to create a workable map of 32 Welsh constituencies.
"The purpose of our initial proposals, however, is to start the conversation about how the new map will look."
Buildings within 100m of the Juno Drive location were evacuated, with people living within 500m advised to shut windows and doors.
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In a tribute, released through the Warwickshire force, Mr Boswell's partner Carol Fureed, said: "Dave used to brighten anyone that was feeling down with his jokes. He always knew how to have a good laugh.
"He had a heart of gold and lived for his family, friends and his passion for fishing."
His brother, Andy, added there was "never a dull moment with you around".
Close friend Ryan Hissey said Mr Boswell was a "huge character" who "left an impression on everybody he met".
Colleagues also paid tribute, including Ben Curie who said Mr Boswell was "someone I could look up to, an inspiration and a hero at work".
Det Supt Jon Marsden said due to unstable chemicals and several hotspots at the site, it had been unsafe for search teams to enter.
Police, he said, would be working with structural engineers and demolition experts to ensure a search could begin, which, he added, was "still likely to take some time".
"We appreciate how hard this is for David's family and friends, and our thoughts remain with them," he said.
"They continue to be supported and updated by specially trained officers."
Public Health England (PHE) has issued advice to people living around the site on dealing with debris from the blaze.
Although toxins or contaminates from plastics should have been eliminated as they burned, PHE said, it warned that particles could be an irritant, and precautions should be taken while dealing with soot.
PHE added it did not expect there to be a significant risk from short-term contact with soot in gardens, and advised using gloves to dispose of matter.
National Insurance contributions will rise by 1.25% to pay for the social care system in England in a bid to end the "unpredictable and catastrophic costs" faced by many.
A social care package, which the prime minister has called "the biggest catch-up programme" in the NHS's history, will be funded through a new, UK-wide 1.25% health and social care levy' from April 2022.
The plan was signed off by ministers at a Cabinet meeting earlier after days of fury from Tory backbenchers and Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg confirmed MPs will vote on the proposals on Wednesday.
The 1.25 percentage point increase is expected to raise about £12bn which, in the early years, will mainly be used to fund dealing with the NHS backlog.
Image:The PM said the overhaul to the social care sector will make the system 'fairer'
This includes £2.2 billion a year for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as tax changes affect the whole of the UK.
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Announcing the plans in the Commons, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the costs of the programme will be split between individuals and businesses and "those who earn more will pay more".
From October 2023, anyone with assets under £20,000 have their care costs fully covered by the state, while those with between £20,000 and £100,000 will be expected to contribute to their costs but will also receive state support.
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He added that there will be a cap of £86,000 on what people will be asked to pay over their lifetime for care.
The increase will be used exclusively on health and social care, and will raise £36 billion over the next three years, the PM said.
Image:Boris Johnson, pictured at a care home in east London, said the increase is expected to raise £12bn
He told MPs the measures will cap COVID backlogs in hospitals by increasing hospital capacity "to 110% and enabling 9 million more appointments, scans and operations".
"As a result, while waiting lists will get worse before they get better, the NHS will aim to be treating around 30% more elective patients by 2024-2025 than before COVID," the PM said.
The PM's plan to overhaul the social care sector includes:
• A government pledge to invest £36 billion over the next three years to help the NHS recover from the pandemic.
• To also invest in reforming the social care sector.
• A promise that from October 2023, nobody will pay more than £86,000 for their social care - regardless of their assets.
• That the government will fully cover the cost of care for those with assets under £20,000, and contribute to the cost of care for those with assets of between £20,000 and £100,000.
Mr Johnson said he accepts that the measure breaks a Tory manifesto pledge not to hike National Insurance, but that it was a necessary move due to COVID financial pressures.
"No Conservative government wants to raise taxes, I will be honest I accept this breaks a manifesto commitment. It is not something I do lightly but a global pandemic wasn't in anyone's manifesto," the PM told MPs in the Commons.
"This is the right the reasonable and the fair approach. I think the people of this country understand that in their bones and they can see the enormous steps that this government and the Treasury have taken."
The PM's official spokesperson said the change will make "the system fairer for all" and noted that working adults above pension age will also contribute to the new levy.
Image:Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said those with 'the broadest shoulders' should pay more
"The levy will be paid by working adults including those over the state pension age. From April 2022, while systems are being updated, NICs rates will rise by 1.25%," the spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday.
"Then, from April 2023, once systems are updated, the levy will be separated and the exact additional amount each employee is paying through the levy will be visible as a separate line on an individual's payslip.
"It is at this point that working adults above pension age will contribute to the levy.
"Individuals will contribute according to their means and those who earn more will pay more.
"A typical basic rate tax payer earning £24,100 will contribute £180 - that's £3.46 per week. A typical higher rate tax payer earning £67,100 - the top 15% of earners - will contribute £7.15."
Referring directly to those who have opposed the National Insurance hike and suggested income tax should be raised instead, the PM said this would not generate the same amount.
Image:The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford called the PM's plan a 'poll tax' for Scottish people to pay for social care in England
"Income tax is not paid by businesses, so the whole burden would fall on individuals, roughly doubling the amount that the basic taxpayer could expect to pay and the total revenue from capital gains tax amounts to less than £9 billion this year," he told the Commons.
"Instead, our new levy will share the cost between individuals and businesses, and everyone will contribute according to their means, including those above their pension age."
The PM also announced that there will be a 1.25% hike in the amount of tax that is paid on income from share dividends to help cover the costs of the social care package.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked if the PM's new plan will still lead to people selling their homes to fund care.
"Let me spell that out - a poorly-paid care worker will pay more tax for the care that they are providing without a penny more in their pay packet and without a secure contract," he said.
"The alternative is obvious: a timetable, a plan to clear waiting lists just as we did under the last Labour government, a comprehensive report planned for social care dealing with the inadequacies I have just pointed out, and driving up the equality of provision, and not just tinkering with the funding model.
"We do need to ask those with the broadest shoulders to pay more and that does include asking much more of wealthier people including income from stocks, from shares, from dividends and from property."
Posting on social media, Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner added: "This is not a plan to fix social care. Describing it as such is an insult to everyone who works in social care and everyone who relies on social care."
The leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey - who himself is a carer - described the government's new health and social care levy as an "unfair tax".
Meanwhile, the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford referred to the move as "the prime minister's poll tax on Scottish workers to pay for English social care".
