Chief Scientific Advisor Patrick Vallance has hinted that the new Tier 4 lockdown could spread - with the new strain of the virus already "everywhere".
Sir Patrick confirmed that the new Covid-19 strain which is fuelling growth of the virus in London and the South East has spread around the UK.
Asked at a Downing Street press conference on the spread of the new strain, Sir Patrick confirmed that it was already "everywhere" but not in the numbers seen in London.
He told the press conference: "It’s not as though we can stop this getting into other places." He hinted that more lockdown changes could be needed to contain the virus. “Given that we’re entering a period of inevitable mixing, I think there will be some increases in numbers over