The strict new lockdown imposed by Boris Johnson on Monday night may not be able to contain the new Covid variant, scientists have warned.
The Prime Minister ordered schools to shut - after just one day back after Christmas - and told people again to "stay at home" in a return to the stark messaging from March.
But scientists have warned that the strict lockdown may not even succeed in lowering infection rates as the first national shutdown did last spring.
A new national lockdown was still "inevitable" and "necessary", experts have said, with daily cases yesterday reaching a record high of more than 58,000.