Britain should not be subject to further COVID restrictions, according to senior government sources, after the first UK real-world data revealed that people infected with Omicron are up to two thirds less likely to end up in hospital, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Christmas gatherings were officially given the green light by Boris Johnson as he pledged no further COVID restrictions would be imposed ahead of festive celebrations, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Boris Johnson has been urged to provide “clarity” amid uncertainty over the possibility of new COVID restrictions, The Daily Telegraph says.It says some MPs want reassurance that people can continue planning for Christmas and New Year without fear of their plans being ruined.
The prime minister is considering a “light touch” plea to families to limit mixing over Christmas, reports The Daily Telegraph.It says Mr Johnson favours issuing “guidance” rather than mandating new rules after being presented with three options to try to slow Omicron.
Boris Johnson’s attempts to move on from the Conservative Party’s by-election loss in North Shropshire has been dealt a blow after Simon Case was forced to step down from the inquiry into alleged festive gatherings at Downing Street, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has told The Telegraph that leaders should “put their hands up”, when asked about Tory gatherings over lockdown last Christmas.
The public have been urged to scale back plans in the run up to Christmas following the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, The Daily Telegraph says.
Almost half of Boris Johnson’s backbenchers voted against vaccine passports, The Daily Telegraph says, giving the prime minister the “worst parliamentary rebellion of his premiership”.
The NHS have been overwhelmed by high numbers of people looking to get booster jabs, The Daily Telegraph says. It comes after the vaccine programme was opened to all eligible over-18s for the first time today.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the prime minister’s plans to offer one million booster jabs a day to ward off another lockdown.