Boris Johnson is to announce London and parts of the South East are going into tougher 'Tier 4' restrictions at todays Downing Street briefing, according to reports.
It could mean Christmas is effectively cancelled for millions as tighter restrictions are likely to make family gatherings indoors a non-starter.
The Prime Minister will be speaking to the nation at 4pm today following a rise in coronavirus infections and concerns that relaxing measures over the festive period is a recipe for disaster.
The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg tweeted: "Cabinet members have been briefed that the PM expected to announce a Tier 4, tighter covid restrictions for London and SE at 4pm this afternoon - and will cut back on the planned relaxation of the rules over