A "mutation of concern" has been detected in the variant of coronavirus first identified in the UK, which scientists have described as "a worrying development".
Britain has detected 43 cases of the coronavirus featuring these mutations in Bristol and Liverpool, British health minister Matt Hancock said today, adding that new variants meant the government had to act with caution. "We've also seen 11 cases of mutations of concern in Bristol, and 32 in Liverpool," Mr Hancock told MPs, saying they were additional to the 11 cases of the South African variant that were not linked to international travel. "We must continue to act with caution, not least because of the renewed challenges posed by new variants of the coronavirus," he said.