Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the Cabinet to discuss the Government’s coronavirus response, Downing Street has confirmed.
The meeting will be held at 1.30pm today after plans for a second national lockdown were leaked last night.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: Cabinet will meet at 1.30pm today to discuss the Government’s coronavirus response.
It was understood that The Prime Minister met with his Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and Health Minister Matt Hancock for crunch talks on Friday.
They came to the conclusion that more severe restrictions of freedoms are necessary due to the demand being placed on hospitals by rising Covid-19 cases, according to reports.
Mr Johnson is then said to have come to a reluctant conclusion that a full national lockdown for England until December 1 was necessary.
No final decisions are said to have been made but Mr Johnson will address the nation on Monday about the next steps of the battle against coronavirus, according to the reports. It came at the end of a week in which coronavirus deaths in the UK have risen to levels last seen in May.
On Friday, the Covid-19 death toll shot up by 274, while infections increased by more than 24,000. This is the biggest Friday jump in deaths since May 29, when 274 fatalities were also recorded.
Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, told ministers on Thursday morning that the virus is out of control.
It is likely that everything but essential shops, nurseries, universities and schools will be shut. The PM is expected to hold a press conference on the matter on Monday.
The data is really bad, a source told The Times. We are seeing coronavirus rising all over the country and hospitals are really struggling to cope.