Nationwide coronavirus curbs which could see hospitality businesses forced to shut are being examined to prevent a fresh wave of deaths.
Boris Johnson is reportedly considering a "circuit break" of a few weeks, to be take place at half term, as experts battle to contain a new spike in Covid-19. "Active discussions" are reportedly underway in Number 10 about how to respond to the sharp increase in cases.
And one option on the table is a short period of stricter rules in England, which Downing Street denied would amount to a full-scale second lockdown - which Health Secretary Matt Hancock said would be a "last resort" A Number 10 spokesman said: "We’ve always been clear that our strategy is to keep the virus down as much as possible while