Covid: No guarantees over Christmas lockdown, says Dominic Raab

The government "can't make hard, fast guarantees" that there will not be a Christmas lockdown, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said.

"I'm not going to trail things when decisions haven't been made," he said, when asked whether England can expect more restrictions in the coming days.

Ministers are considering three different options of possible Covid measures, the BBC has been told.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has chaired a virtual cabinet meeting.

The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and England's chief medical officer, Prof Chris Whitty, briefed ministers about the Omicron variant as it continues to spread quickly across the country.

The number of confirmed cases shot up last week. A further 91,743 Covid cases were reported across the UK on Monday, the second highest daily total on record.

Some newspapers are reporting that new restrictions could be brought in before Christmas in England - with the Daily Telegraph saying that options under consideration include curbs on household mixing or forcing pubs and restaurants to close early.

The BBC has been told that civil servants have produced three options for future Covid measures, and they range in severity from low to medium and high.

But ministers have yet to make a choice and they say they are testing the data before taking a decision.

With the cabinet set to meet on Monday afternoon, it is not yet known whether a press conference is being planned for later.

When asked whether a Christmas lockdown is being considered, the prime minister spokesman said "we're still monitoring the data and keeping a very close eye on it".

"We will take any necessary steps in the interest of protecting lives and livelihoods," the spokesman later added.

Mr Raab earlier refused to guarantee that no new rules would be brought in. Asked whether he could rule out a Christmas lockdown, he replied: "We've said we can't make hard, fast guarantees."

"The acceleration of the booster makes that much less likely," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"But ultimately, in answer to your question, it depends on the severity of the Omicron cases and you know that there's a time lag between reported cases, hospitalisations and the deaths."

Pressed on whether booster jabs would be enough to avoid more rules this winter, Mr Raab said jabs were "the central thing that is boosting our protection" but there are other things, too, like the Plan B measures in England.

"It's fair to say we have to keep the evidence reviewed on an hour-by-hour and day-by-day basis," he said. His message to the public would be to use some "common sense caution" over who they are mixing with.

The government's scientific advisers say new restrictions may be required very soon - and have suggested reducing the size of groups that can meet and closing venues where there is a high risk of transmission.

Leaked notes from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) also suggest that, without intervention beyond current Plan B rules in England, hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day.

There are also fears over staff absences caused by the surge, with some NHS trusts already having to postpone non-essential work.

Psychologist Prof Stephen Reicher - who advises the government on a Sage sub-group - told BBC Breakfast the UK probably needed more restrictions.

"The safest thing is not to meet up before Christmas," he said - but if people do, they should take a lateral flow test.

But another scientist, epidemiologist Prof Carl Heneghan, said the public should be trusted to manage their own Covid risk.

"We are in deep, deep trouble here of potentially talking ourselves into annual winter lockdowns," he says.

In Scotland, people have already cut back on socialising, which has slowed the Omicron wave a little, said national clinical director Prof Jason Leitch. "But it's coming," he warned.

It is not a simple choice between prioritising the virus and the economy, he said. "You either take the pain now or you take it later."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party stood ready to support more measures if needed - but called on the prime minister to "come up with a plan and get a grip".

"The ball's in his court, but where is he?" Mr Starmer said, calling for clarity over whether schools will reopen and whether businesses will get economic help.

"There's a vacuum of leadership at the moment," he added.

Current Plan B rules for England include Covid passes for certain events, face masks in more places and people being urged to work from home if they can.

Other nations of the UK have similar rules, though Scotland has gone further by asking people to limit social contact to three households at a time in the run-up to Christmas, and could go further still in the new year.

Wales has also ordered nightclubs to close from 27 December.

The prospect of possible new restrictions comes as a photo emerged of the prime minister, his wife and government staff at a gathering in Downing Street's garden during last year's lockdown.

At the time, there were strict restrictions on mixing, but No 10 says this gathering in the Downing Street garden was a work meeting.