Live: PM outlines plans for tough three-tier system for England post-lockdown
Boris Johnson is setting out his plans for a strengthened three-tier system of coronavirus rules which will replace the current lockdown in England when it ends on December 2.
The Prime Minister is detail his winter strategy to MPs, with a proposal to deploy a major testing scheme in an attempt to win over rebels on the Conservative back benches.
It is understood that he will tell MPs that non-essential shops can open in all three tiers after the current restrictions expire, in a boost for retailers during the festive period.
A Downing Street briefing on Monday evening will also outline proposals to the public.
The PM - joining virtually due to being in isolation - will appear alongside Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group Andrew Pollard.
Pubs and restaurants will face the harshest of the new measures, with businesses in the new Tier 3 only allowed to offer takeaways, while those in Tier 2 must serve food with any drinks, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The newspaper said cinemas will be allowed to reopen in England for areas in Tier 1 and 2, and midnight mass and Christingle services will be permitted in all three tiers.
Appearing remotely in the Commons from his test and trace-ordered quarantine, Mr Johnson is to announce major rapid testing programmes for all areas forced into the highest tier of restrictions.
He will also set out a trial of the repeat testing of close contacts of individuals who test positive for Covid-19 to prevent them from having to isolate, having got his proposals signed off by his Cabinet on Sunday.
He is also due to set out plans to allow a small number of households in the UK to mix in a limited number of days around Christmas, but is not expected to give the specifics.
What does the government's winter plan look like?
Mr Johnson is expected to tell MPs that “we are not out of the woods yet” but that “with expansion in testing and vaccines edging closer to deployment, the regional tiered system will help get the virus back under control and keep it there”.
He will hope that it will be enough to show he has a fresh approach to dozens of Conservative MPs in the Covid Recovery Group (CRG) - which is threatening to oppose any new restrictions in a Commons vote unless it’s proven they will "save more lives than they cost".
Downing Street hope potential vaccines on the horizon, new scientific evidence and an easing at Christmas will lessen the scale of a rebellion.
It comes as the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) is expected to publish papers on Monday saying the previous tiers were not strong enough.
More areas are expected to be placed in the higher tiers next month to strengthen and safeguard the gains on reducing coronavirus infections made during the four-week lockdown.
Ministers will on Thursday set out what tier each area will enter, while one easing expected is to the 10pm curfew rule for pubs and restaurants.
Mr Johnson is understood to be preparing to unveil a plan so that while last orders must be called at 10pm.
People will get an extra hour to finish their food and drinks, with opening hours to be extended until 11pm.
Over the weekend, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove met with leaders of the devolved nations to endorse “a shared objective of facilitating some limited additional household bubbling for a small number of days” over Christmas.
The public will be “advised to remain cautious” and told that “wherever possible people should avoid travelling and minimise social contact”, a statement from his department said.
The Cabinet Office said talks are continuing to finalise the agreement, including over travel arrangements, but that it is hoped the conclusion will come “this week”, while the Scottish Government said “no agreement has been reached”.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "We're trying to agree a common set of rules across the UK, not least because so many people travel across the UK at Christmas."
He added "Those rules have got to be careful, they've got to be balanced, because we've still got to keep this virus under control.
"But I also know how much people want to see their families after what has been a really tough year."
But the CRG, led by former Brexit minister Steve Baker and ex-chief whip Mark Harper, warned against any post-Christmas increase in restrictions to counteract the relaxation in a letter to the Prime Minister said to be signed by 70 Tories.
In a letter to the PM, the CRG said: "We cannot live under such a series of damaging lockdowns and apparently arbitrary restrictions and expect our constituents to be grateful for being let out to enjoy the festive season, only to have strict restrictions imposed on them afterwards that cause them health problems and destroy their livelihood."
Conservative former minister Nus Ghani, who joined the CRG having voted for the current lockdown, added in an article for the Telegraph that she will not be able to support the restrictions unless the Government details a “fresh strategy”.
When the Commons voted on the current lockdown earlier this month, 32 Conservatives rebelled to oppose the measures and 17 more, including former prime minister Theresa May, abstained.
But Labour has so far been supportive of the need for restrictions to slow the spread of Covid-19 and a full-scale Commons defeat on the plan is unlikely.
Shadow Health Secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "We understand that people want to see their families over Christmas, I understand why the government are making those decisions. But I would urge caution."
He added: "This isn't an excuse for big party blowouts. Urge caution, follow the rules, the coronavirus doesn't know it's Christmas and it thrives on that human interaction."
The plans emerged as the government said a further 739 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Coivd-19 as of the weekend, bringing the UK total to 55,024.