Boris Johnson has insisted his three-tier system will "avoid the misery of a national lockdown" as he fended off Sir Keir Starmer's criticism of his strategy so far.
But the Prime Minister would not rule out imposing a circuit breaker if those measures fail to work.
The Labour leader argued that the regional approach doesn't "go far enough", telling the Prime Minister to "keep up" with the change in coronavirus rates and hospital admissions around the country.
"That is the cost of rejecting Sage advice," Sir Keir said.
But the Prime Minister accused the Labour leader of flip-flopping, noting that he backed the three-tiered strategy on Monday before calling for a circuit breaker last night.
Challenged over this morning's report in the Telegraph, Mr Johnson said: "I rule out nothing, of course, in combating the virus but we're going to do it with the local, regional approach that can drive down and will drive down the virus if it is properly implemented.
Follow the latest updates below.
03:26 PM
And that's it for another day...
It seems like Boris Johnson is fighting battles on all possible fronts at the minute.
The leaders of Greater Manchester are threatening legal action if the region is placed in tier three. Labour and the scientists want a circuit breaker (something which is backed by 68 per cent of the public, according to a snap YouGov poll) but Tory MPs are fighting this tooth and nail.
According to the results of our daily poll, the bulk of you are standing firm with the Prime Minister - for now. Some 62 per cent back the three-tiered system, compared with just 10 per cent who favoured a circuit breaker. Another 23 per cent of you have put suggestions in the comments, or emailed to the team, so look out for an article with your top suggestions soon.
And that's it for today - I'll be back at 8am tomorrow, for all the news from Westminster and beyond.
03:07 PM
No airport testing yet, says Shapps
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary - Barcroft Media
The Transport Secretary has announced a “trailblazing” plan to reduce travel quarantine with a single Covid-19 test was announced, but ruled out testing on arrival at UK airports and ports.
“We’re proposing a domestic test regime, where people land and wait a week, have a test and get early release,” said Mr Shapps at the annual Abta travel industry conference, which was held virtually.
The test will need to take place "in person," he said. It will be provided by the private sector, in order to prevent putting additional strain on the NHS, and will be paid for by the traveller.
Burnham says Manchester could resist tier three with legal action
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the region could legally challenge any decision by ministers to put it into tier three restrictions.
Mr Burnham told an online press conference that if Greater Manchester was put into their three it would be "by imposition, not consent".
He added: "We are law abiding people, we would respect the law of the land.
"But we would consider other routes, legal routes, where we could protect our many thousands of residents who are going to be left in severe hardship in the run up to Christmas.
"We would not just leave them in the lurch, we would try and support them and that would include any legal action we could take on their behalf."
02:38 PM
Full lockdown may be needed because it is too late for circuit breaker - scientist
A scientist looking at the potential benefits of a "precautionary" circuit-breaker lockdown has warned the Government might have missed the chance to impose one voluntarily. Prof Graham Medley, who is a member of Sage, warned the current R rate of Covid-19 might force the Government to impose a new emergency lockdown, instead of the proposed circuit-breaker which is only supposed to last for two weeks.
"The whole point of these is that you do them before you have to, and at the moment we have seen increasing cases," he told a webinar.
"The question is are we going to have to do things because we have to do them rather than before we have to do them?"
He continued: "This is still a tool and a potential policy that could be used and implemented but I think we are in a position at the moment whereby things are becoming slightly more urgent than where you would use these precautionary breaks."
02:28 PM
Welsh Government bans travel from other high-risk areas of the UK
The Welsh Government is preparing to prevent people who live in areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus from travelling to Wales, First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced.
Mr Drakeford said the action was being taken after Prime Minister Boris Johnson did not reply to two letters requesting he introduce the measure across the UK.
Under regulations being prepared, people living in areas with high levels of coronavirus in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not be able to travel to Wales.
The new restrictions are planned to come into force at 6pm on Friday.
01:56 PM
Crunch decision on Brexit deal coming after EU summit, says PM's spokesman
Lord Frost and Michel Barnier have not yet reached a deal - Olivier Hoslet /EPA POOL
Boris Johnson will take a decision on "next steps" regarding a Brexit deal following this week's European Council summit, Downing Street has said.
A summit later this week was originally billed as the final deadline for a deal, but negotiations have not yet concluded.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "Some progress has been made this week, primarily in technical areas of the negotiations, but there are still differences with fisheries being the starkest.
"We need to get the substance settled and not having a common text to work from has made progress doubly difficult.
"The Prime Minister's September 7 statement was very clear about the significance of October 15.
"He will need to take a decision on next steps following the European Council in the light of his conversation with President von der Leyen, and on advice from his negotiating team.
"I cannot prejudge what that decision will be."
01:43 PM
Brexit fish wars kick off again in the English Channel
The Olivia Jean, which sails out of Brixham in Devon - David Rose
Fish wars have broken out in the English Channel as French trawlers confronted British counterparts - firing flares and throwing frying pans.
Two British boats, the Girl Macey, skippered by Scott Glover, and the Golden Promise, by Brian Whittington, were involved in a skirmish.
They were surrounded by around 20 French vessels and were pelted by objects including frying pans and rocks.
The hostile French crews even threw oil at the Gal Macey before firing a flare at the ship.
Brian 'Winkle' Whittington, 43, skipper of the Golden Promise, said: "I was expecting it this time, they only do it in the dark.
"We can't use the radio when they do it as they just talk over us instantly, so I couldn't check on Scott to see how he was.
"We were about two miles apart and I had two or three boats around me. Scott had 15 around him, they were throwing oil at him and firing flares.
"I was mentally prepared for it, I knew it was going to happen again."
01:37 PM
Terrorists are looking for new targets during the pandemic, warns MI5 chief
Ken McCallum took over as head of MI5 earlier this year
Terrorists are hunting for fresh targets because there are fewer crowds amid the coronavirus pandemic, the new boss of MI5 has warned.
Director general Ken McCallumsaid the security service has been "rapidly adapting" how it works to keep the country safe during the outbreak as well as helping research efforts in combatting the virus and trying to protect work on the vaccine from potential interference.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday for the first time since taking on the top role in April, he said: "I stepped into this role at the height of the Covid lockdown, and for MI5 just like everyone else, 2020 has been dominated by the pandemic.
01:22 PM
You should still pay your TV licence even if it is decriminalised, says Dowden
The Culture Secretary has said he does not want to send a signal that it is legitimate to not pay the TV licence, but said the Government continued to consider options on decriminalising non-payment.
The Government is preparing to publish its response to a consultation on decriminalisation.
He also denied that decriminalising licence fee evasion was an agenda set out by Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's chief adviser.
The BBC has warned that switching to a civil system would cost the broadcaster more than £200 million a year.
"I do think there are major challenges around decriminalisation which we continue to consider," Mr Dowden told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.
01:07 PM
Italy, Sweden and Germany could be next in line for quarantine restrictions
Quarantine restrictions could be imposed on travellers arriving in the UK from Italy, Sweden and Germany later this week, new figures suggest.
The countries are among the few popular foreign holiday destinations which UK travellers can still visit without needing to isolate for 14 days when they return due to Covid-19.
But Italy is recording a seven-day rate of 58.3 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people.
Sweden and Germany have rates of 36.1 and 34.3 respectively.
Look at data from around the world using our Live Tracker:
12:45 PM
Labour seeking national circuit breaker - but would consider regional one, says spokesman
Labour would consider a regional coronavirus circuit-breaker but wants the Government to impose nationwide restrictions, a spokesman for Sir Keir Starmer said.
The spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "The proposal we've put on the table at the moment is that it needs to be a nationwide circuit-breaker.
"Because as the Government's own scientists have admitted, the virus is spreading across the country and the infection rate is going up across all regions of the country.
"So the proposal we are putting at the moment is that it needs to be nationwide."
But asked if a regional circuit-breaker would be considered, the spokesman said: "We'll always look at whatever the Government puts forward and judge it on its merits but the arguments we're making at the moment is for a national one."
12:43 PM
Boris Johnson pledges to help join up Scottish and English contact tracing apps
Boris Johnson has promised to ensure it is easier for people travelling cross-border within the UK to check into locations without having to switch between two tracing apps.
During today's PMQs session the Prime Minister pledged to "do what I can do" to ensure there is inter-operability across all four nations' apps to help those moving across or living near to borders to track their movements.
Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain (North East Fife) warned that people like her travelling between England and Scotland have to continuously switch between two apps as the system does not do so automatically based on GPS location.
Cross-border workers have had to download NHS Test and Trace and Scotland's Project Scotland app, as the software used in England is incompatible with its Scottish counterpart.
The Project Scotland app uses the same underlying technology as the system for England and Wales but they cannot communicate with each other.
Users living in one nation and travelling to the other can only use one app at a time.
12:27 PM
Labour's plan is 'detached from reality', says Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak accuses Labour of "spending weeks indulging themselves in political attacks" on the Government, saying they "have now flipped and support a blunt lockdown".
The Chancellor has raise his voice over the clamour of opposition MPs as he claims the circuit breakdown would cause "needless damage" to parts of the country that do not require it.
"They don't seem to care about the long-term stability of the public finances," he adds before the Speaker intervenes to ask MPs to stop shouting.
Mr Sunak calls on Labour to set out how many jobs the circuit breaker would cost.
Labour's circuit breaker plan is "blind to the hard choices we face" and "detached from reality", the Chancellor adds
It is in fact "no plan at all."
12:23 PM
Labour MPs jeer Rishi Sunak over three-tiered strategy
Back in the Commons, tensions are palpable in a debate about restrictions, the circuit breaker and financial support.
The Speaker was forced to call on MPs to "have a good debate and well mannered" as members spoke from their seats.
Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor, told MPs the question is not "whether we can afford a circuit breaker but whether we can afford to continue with a Government that ducks taking hard choices until it is forced on them".
The circuit breaker should be used to fix Test and Trace, devolve it to local areas and build economic confidence, she says. It must be supported throughout.
Labour "stands ready" to support such a measure, she adds.
Rishi Sunak stressed a regional, tiered approach, was the right strategy because it would prevent parts of the country being locked down unnecessarily.
Pointing to opposition seats, the Chancellor claims Labour are not "confronting the reality" of the consequences that a lockdown would have - to jeers from the other side.
12:09 PM
At least 180 infections in Scotland traced to Blackpool trip, says Nicola Sturgeon
At least 180 people in Scotland who tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month have reported a recent trip to Blackpool, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister said that a separate incident management team had been set up to deal with those who have travelled between the town and Scotland.
She said: "I need to advise you that trips to Blackpool are now associated with a large and growing number of Covid cases in Scotland."
She added: "Blackpool is being mentioned in Test and Protect conversations far more than any other location outside of Scotland.
According to the First Minister, 342 people who were contacted by Test and Protect in the last week after having contracted coronavirus reported travel outside of Scotland, 252 to somewhere else in the UK and 94 had been to Blackpool.
Ms Sturgeon advised those who were looking to travel to the town not to do so, especially to watch this weekend's Old Firm match in a pub.
12:01 PM
Scottish independence support reaches record high as PM approval plummets
Levels of support for Scottish independence have reached the highest ever recorded, according to a new Ipsos Mori poll.
Among those who would be likely to vote in an independence referendum, 58 per cent say they would vote yes while 42 per cent would vote no. Almost two thirds (64per cent) of Scots say there should be another referendum within the next five years if the SNP wins a majority of seats in the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.
It comes as the pollsters found that three quarters of Scots are dissatisfied with the way Boris Johnson is doing his job as Prime Minister, the lowest recorded.
Nicola Sturgeon has a ‘net’ satisfaction rating of 49 per cent, compared with negative ‘net’ satisfaction ratings for the Conservatives’ Douglas Ross (-17 per cent), Labour’s Richard Leonard (-25 per cent).
The SNP is well ahead of other parties in the polls, scooping up 58 per cent of total support, compared with 19 per cent for Scottish Conservatives and 13 per cent for Scottish Labour.
Nicola Sturgeon's personal ratings are well ahead of her rivals - AFP
11:56 AM
Lisa Nandy claims Boris Johnson 'made a hash of it' during PMQs
Lisa Nandy, shadow foreign secretary, has called on the Government to "get a grip", after a PMQs in which Boris Johnson made "a real hash of it".
The Prime Minister told the Commons that his three-tiered system would avoid the "misery" of a national lockdown - but he refused to rule anything out.
The MP for Wigan is unimpressed.
If the aim of these tiers was to give us clarity, the Prime Minister is making a real hash of it. In one answer at #PMQs he said a circuit break would be a disaster and refused to rule it out. Will someone in government please get a grip?
Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer clashed over the circuit breaker, with both men accusing the other of being opportunists.
The Labour leader stuck doggedly to his point - that the scientists should be listened to over all else - but got a few laughs with his jabs about the PM's "prepared rants", among other things.
Mr Johnson was in better form than he has been for some weeks, though, defending his strategy and responding to questions with answers that felt less like he was delivering planned attack lines.
But who had the better PMQs? Have your say in our snap poll - I'll give you the results in an hour.
11:46 AM
Labour level-pegging with Tories in polls for first time since July 2019
Labour is now level-pegging with the Conservatives in the polls, the first time the Tories have not been ahead of their rivals since July 2019.
The latest Savanta ComRes Westminster Voting Intention shows that both parties are on 39 per cent, with Boris Johnson's Conservatives having fallen three per cent on last week.
Net approval of the Government's response to the pandemic has dropped two points in the last week and is down 12 points since the start of September.
The Prime Minister's personal net approval has also fallen two points in the last week, down 11 points since the start of last month.
There is a "significant" week-on-week rise in those who say Government not doing enough to support places of leisure.
11:25 AM
PMQs: Labour MP accuses Communities Secretary of 'grubby' regeneration scheme approval
Matt Western, Labour's MP for Warwick and Leamington, asks about Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, who he says "has a habit of hitting the headlines, not always for the right reason".
Mr Jenrick's constituency was recently awarded £25m for a regeneration scheme, which was approved by one of his own ministers. That was later reciprocated.
Mr Western asks if this approval process is appropriate or "a bit grubby".
Boris Johnson says it was "independently approved" and adds: "If he has some serious allegation to make against my Right Hon friend I suggest he make it."
There are shouts of "he just did" as the PM sits down.
11:21 AM
PMQs: Ian Blackford tells PM he will 'never be forgiven' for job losses in Scotland
Ian Blackford, SNP's Westminster leader, calls on the Prime Minister to extend the full furlough scheme.
Boris Johnson points to the jobs support system which was unveiled by the Chancellor recently, as well as the Universal Credit which he says will benefit from a £20 uplift "until April next year - at least".
But Mr Blackford rubbishes this as "half-measures" in light of growing unemployment.
"We are heading towards a Tory winter of mass unemployment," he says. "The Prime Minister's next job could be on the backbenches."
He claims he will "never be forgiven" in Scotland.
Mr Johnson says the Government is supporting the whole of the UK and congratulates him on the SNP's support for the three-tiered approach.
11:18 AM
PMQs: Sir Keir Starmer challenges PM over Telegraph story
Sir Keir Starmer then cites the Telegraph's report from this morning about the plans for a circuit breaker, although suggests he is not expecting a proper reply as the PM will have his "prepared rant ready as usual".
Boris Johnson says "everybody can see what [Sir Keir] is doing", claiming Labour see the pandemic as a "good opportunity to exploit" while the Government is tackling the virus itself.
He then asks the Labour leader to support the measures that have been put forward - but, as predicted, doesn't engage with the substance of the question.
11:15 AM
PMQs: Boris Johnson accuses Labour of 'misrepresenting' Whitty's position
Sir Keir Starmer then quotes Prof Chris Whitty's words from Monday, when he said he did not think tier three would be sufficient to reduce the rate.
He asks why the PM is so confident when the CMO is not.
Boris Johnson says the Labour leader is "misrepresenting the position, doubtless inadvertently".
He says if the measures for tier three were implemented in full, with full and proper enforcement and Test and Trace, as they are in Liverpool, "they would deliver the reduction in R that we need, in order to avert what none of us want to see" - namely a national lockdown.
Sir Keir repeats he thinks the measure is wrong.
11:12 AM
PMQs: Boris Johnson claims three tiers will 'avoid misery of national lockdown'
Sir Keir Starmer then says it is "the failure" of the Government's strategy that means tougher measures are now required.
He asks what is the alternative plan to get R below one.
Boris Johnson says the plan is the one the Labour leader "supported on Monday" which he says will "avoid the misery of a national lockdown".
He claims "opportunism is the name of the game" for the party opposite, and again accuses him of flip-flopping on what Sir Keir supports.
Mr Johnson says they should work together to keep kids in school, keep the economy going and keep jobs supported "and let's take the commonsensical, regional approach".
11:10 AM
PMQs: Sir Keir Starmer accuses PM of being 'opportunist all his life'
Sir Keir Starmer then turns to Track and Trace, which he says is "only having a marginal impact" on transmission and is likely to "further decline", citing Sage assessment.
He tells the Prime Minister not to respond with the usual "nonsense".
Boris Johnson says it is thanks to Test and Trace "that we know where the disease is surging", which gives the country "the chance to do the right thing".
He adds that Labour wants to close companies around the country, and accuses him of flip-flopping,saying "when it came to a vote in this House.... he failed to even turn up".
Sir Keir accuses the Prime Minister of being "an opportunist all his life", but says he has "genuinely concluded that a circuit breaker is in the national interest".
11:07 AM
PMQs: Boris Johnson stresses regional variation in coronavirus cases
Sir Keir Starmer shoots back that the regional approach doesn't "go far enough".
He reminds him that the R-rate has gone up, as have hospital admissions and the number of deaths - the highest since June 10.
"That is the cost of rejecting Sage advice," he says.
Boris Johnson says the difference between this stage and March is that "the disease is appearing much more strongly in same places than others".
He notes the difference between Liverpool and Cornwall or North Norfolk, throwing in a few of his favourite word "alas" for good measure.
The "logical thing to do" is to grapple the virus where it is surging, he adds.
But Sir Keir urges him to "keep up".
11:04 AM
PMQs: Boris Johnson defends decision not to adopt circuit breaker in September
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has kicked open PMQs by telling the Prime Minister that decisions about virtual participation are a matter for the Government not him - but said he would be "more than happy to decide".
It is thought that ministers are keen to avoid a return to remote voting - despite vulnerable MPs being told to work from home again - because it is harder for whips to keep on top of what backbenchers are doing.
Then he turns over to Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer.
The Labour leader challenges the Prime Minister on his previous commitment to being "guided by the science" and asks why he rejected the advice to adopt a circuit breaker.
Mr Johnson says he will do "whatever it takes" to fight the virus, but notes that on page one of the Sage advice it says all measures have "associated costs" and that ministers have to consider those.
The regional approach can "bring down the R and we can bring down the virus", he says.
10:57 AM
Government's 'Gold Command' meets to discuss more tier three lockdowns
Boris Johnson is facing a public spat with local leaders in the North West over plans to put Greater Manchester and Lancashire into the highest tier of coronavirus restictions.
The Government's "Gold Command" of Matt Hancock and senior health officials is meeting to discuss the fate of the region, which could be moved up from tier two to tier three by the end of this week.
But Manchester's leaders have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister making clear they do not support the move, which they say would put them in an "invidious position" because it would put businesses in danger of closure.
Decision on Manchester and Lancashire 'unlikely to be today'
Government sources have played down the suggestion that a decision on Greater Manchester and Lancashire being put into Tier 3 will come today, Political Editor Gordon Rayner writes.
Gold Command, which meets today, is not a decision-making body, and can only make recommendations to ministers.
Its advice will be passed to the Cabinet's Covid Operations committee, chaired by Michael Gove, with the final decision resting on the Prime Minister's shoulders.
The "Covid-O" committee is expected to meet later this week, meaning a decision could be taken by Friday.
10:16 AM
'I'm not rolling over, I'm fighting'
Liverpool's mayor insisted he was "fighting" against "the enemy" that is Covid-19, as he was accused on Twitter of "rolling over" for the Government.
I am not rolling over, I am fighting, everyday, fighting against COVID-19 that’s the enemy attacking our City, I am showing leadership by trying to protect lives and livelihoods. Other Cities will be placed in Tier 3 but my concern is this one. https://t.co/06dNOYGuXG
Crowds of people dancing in Liverpool city centre as strict coronavirus restrictions were introduced have shamed the city, the Mayor has said.
Merseyside Police said officers dispersed a large gathering in the Concert Square and Fleet Street area at 10pm on Tuesday, as bars shut their doors for the final time ahead of new Tier 3 measures, which came into force on Wednesday.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said on Twitter: "These pictures shame our city, attacking our brave police officers is unacceptable.
"Our health service is creaking, 300 in hospital and 30 people dead in week. Ignoring these facts is why we are in Tier 3 measures."
Scenes in Liverpool overnight - Ben Jones
09:54 AM
Greater Manchester leaders issue joint statement fighting tier three restrictions
Greater Manchester leaders have issued a joint statement, insisting the region should not be placed in Tier 3.
Mayor Andy Burnham and the leaders of the local authorities said there were two reasons for resisting these restrictions.
"First, the evidence does not currently support it. The rate of Covid infection in Greater Manchester is much lower, at 357.6 cases per 100,000, compared to Liverpool City Region which is in tier three at 488.0 cases per 100,000.
"Plus our hospital admission rate is much lower than in LCR as deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam highlighted in his press conference this week.
"Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust seven-day rolling average Covid patients in beds is at around the 225 mark and in Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust it's at the 100 mark.
"Second, the financial package accompanying tier three is nowhere near sufficient to prevent severe hardship, widespread job losses and business failure."
09:42 AM
Speaker asks vulnerable MPs to work from home as Government resists calls to bring back remote voting
The Speaker has asked vulnerable MPs - those who were shielding under the last lockdown - to start working from home.
The same advice has been given to MPs' staff and all those working in the Parliamentary estate.
It comes amid reports that the the Parliamentary police force has had 45 officers test positive for coronavirus in recent weeks, 17 alone on one day last week.
However it is not clear what the new advice means for shielding MPs when it comes to voting, with the ability to do so remotely having been revoked.
Yesterday Procedure Committee chair Karen Bradley appealed to the Speaker to make a decision on this matter - something which was cheered by her colleagues - but it has been kicked up to the Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg to decide whether to put it to a vote.
I'm told the Government is reluctant to do this because party whips don't have as much influence on an MP if they vote remotely.
09:29 AM
Boris Johnson delays decision on quitting Brexit talks - by two days
Boris Johnson will delay a decision on whether to quit the Brexit trade negotiations until after the European Council summit on Friday after it became clear his Thursday no deal deadline would be missed tomorrow, my colleague James Crisp writes.
The Prime Minister set an October 15 deadline for the trade agreement to be “in sight” by the EU summit, which starts on Thursday afternoon.
David Frost, the UK’s chief negotiator, will brief Mr Johnson today before the Prime Minister speaks to Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president.
Lord Frost will tell the Prime Minister that he thinks a deal can still be done but warn that trade negotiations must be stepped up and further intensified if the agreement is to be clinched.
Leaked conclusions for Thursday’s European Council revealed that, the EU, which never accepted Mr Johnson’s deadline, expects trade negotiations to continue up to its deadline of the end of the month.
09:24 AM
Arts funding recipients are not being asked to praise Government, says Culture Secretary
Oliver Dowden has denied he is "presiding over a complete destruction" of the cultural sector during the pandemic.
The Culture Secretary has also denied recipients of arts funding had to praise the Government, saying that was "certainly not the case". Recipients are being asked to publicly welcome funding and send out a press release acknowledging the cash.
Julian Knight, chair of the Culture Select committee, asked the minister whether he is "presiding over a complete destruction" of the sector, to which he replied: "No, of course is the short answer to that."
He cited the £1.57 billion funding package to the arts and said "we have achieved a huge amount in a short period of time against an extraordinary backdrop... I don't think it's a fair characterisation to say we have presided over destruction. We have worked day in, day out."
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden - AFP
09:18 AM
Have your say: What measures should the Government take before half term?
Boris Johnson is stuck between a rock and a hard place - again.
On the one hand, he is being urged to impose more draconian measures than the three-tiered system he unveiled just two days ago, with scientists and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer among those calling for a circuit breaker.
However sceptics argue this will pave the way for a full-blown lockdown like the one seen in March, with hawk Therese Coffey this morning saying the tiers should be allowed time to bed in before any further restrictions are deployed.
So which option should the Government choose ahead of the half-term holiday and why? Take our daily poll, tell us in the comments section at the bottom of this article or get in touch with us at yourstory@telegraph.co.uk .
09:09 AM
Labour to call on ministers to drop Serco from Test and Trace (again)
Labour is planning to call on the Government to ditch it Test and Trace outsourcing partner Serco and let councils and local public health teams run contact tracing, after Sage said the system was only having a "marginal impact" on transmission of the coronavirus.
This is nothing new in terms of substance - Labour front and backbenchers have been bemoaning Serco and implying that outsourcing benefits allies of the Tory party.
But they have press released it and deputy leader Angela Rayner has tweeted about the plans, which suggests there might be a strengthening of their position.
In Parliament today Labour will urge the govnt to ditch failing Serco and let local councils run contact tracing.
The government's outsourced Test and Trace system has failed, whereas local public health teams have a 97% contact tracing success rate.
I'd be very surprised if it resulted in any change from the Government, as ministers have repeatedly defended the system in general and Serco specifically. But it will make for another skirmish in the never-ending culture wars.
08:57 AM
Regional lockdowns could be 'inevitable', Tory MP acknowledges
One of the ways Boris Johnson might square the circle of circuit breakers is through regional restrictions.
Not only are these thought to be preferred by the Prime Minister - who has likened a second national lockdown to a “nuclear deterrent” - the idea would be much easier to sell to backbenchers, and may even avoid the need for a vote altogether.
One senior Government source said last night the chances of a circuit breaker were “at least 80 per cent”.
This morning a backbencher said it was "not popular on the Tory side but there is an acceptance that it may be inevitable... nobody in Tory southern heartlands wants it".
Either way, it seems highly likely that a decision will be taken and communicated at the last possible moment, to avoid disgruntled hawks from leaking plans while minimising the number of scenes like the ones in Liverpool last night.
Busy pubs in Liverpool last night - Ben Jones
08:44 AM
Wales' hotspot travel demands 'not a border issue', says First Minister
Wales' First Minister has stressed that his demand for the UK Government to restrict people from areas with high levels of coronavirus from travelling into places with lower levels is "not a border issue".
People in areas of Wales under local lockdown restrictions are not able to travel to other parts of the country without a reasonable excuse, which does not include a holiday.
Mark Drakeford has repeatedly called on Boris Johnson to impose restrictions on people travelling from coronavirus hotspots in England - something the Prime Minister has ruled out.
"It is a simple, straightforward, practical action that prevents the flow of the virus out of areas where there is a great deal of it into areas where there is very little of it, and I'm baffled why the Prime Minister continues to resist this idea," Mr Drakeford told Sky News.
"All we're asking is for fair play, for people in high volume areas outside Wales not being able to do things that people in Wales who live in high coronavirus areas are already prevented from doing."
08:39 AM
It is 'inevitable' that Lancashire will be put into tier three, says council leader
Lancashire County Council leader has said it is "inevitable" that the area will be put into the highest category of restrictions - but insisted he was working with ministers on a plan.
Geoff Driver told BBC Breakfast: "With the high rates of infection in most parts of the county area it's inevitable we're going to move into tier three.
"It's really a question of when and how, and we're working with Government trying to put together a package of measures that will mitigate the inevitable impact on that particular sector of the economy."
The Conservative councillor said he did not feel the county was being "railroaded" into the measures.
He added: "It's an inescapable fact and the very, very firm advice that we're getting from our directors of public health is that closing the pubs and bars will not, in itself, get on top of the virus, so we will need to take other measures in addition to that and in order to do that effectively we need more resources.
"That's the push that we're making with Government at the moment."
08:30 AM
Veteran Tory calls for 'selective' circuit breaker in coronavirus hotspots
A circuit breaker-style lockdown could work - but it is only needed in areas where coronavirus cases are surging, a senior backbench Conservative has said.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, chairman of the Liaison Committee, said he supported the concept "in areas where you have sharply rising cases", but not on a national level.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "In the areas where there are very sharply rising cases there is a strong case for going straight to tier three measures, but these should be selective, they should not be national.
"Whereas Essex has got an 82 per cent increase over the last seven days, Cornwall has only got 16.2 per cent, Somerset has only got 39 per cent."
Sir Bernard said he had called on ministers to set-up a "high-level strategy group" to look at how it handles the coronavirus pandemic in the longer term.
He said it should "think about how we are going to live with the virus in the weeks and months ahead, because it is unlikely a vaccine is going to provide a single knockout blow to the whole thing".
Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin - AFP
08:25 AM
Northern Ireland set for month of circuit breaker
Northern Ireland is set for a circuit breaker lockdown that will run for a month - but it is not as draconian as the spring lockdown.
Pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks, with the exception of takeaways, while schools will close for two, one of which will cover the half-term Halloween break.
The moves do not amount to a full scale lockdown similar to that imposed during the first wave of the virus, but the measures nevertheless mark a significant ramping up of the administration's response to spiralling infection rates.
NEW Northern Ireland restrictions BBC understands:
👭 Schools close for 2 weeks 🍻 Pubs/restaurants takeaway only 🍷 Off-licences not to sell alcohol after 20:00 🥅 No indoor sport or contact sport, except elite 💇♀️ Close contact services closed 💪 Gyms open but no classes /1
Backbenchers warn PM over circuit breaker 'lazy thinking'
Boris Johnson looks likely to have the toughest battle on his hands yet if he goes ahead with plans to impose a circuit breaker-style lockdown on the country.
One backbencher said it was "very lazy thinking" noting that the scientific advisers "don't understand or care about the economic damage".
He added: "This circuit breaker doesn't fix any problems, it just temporarily squashes the virus until it goes up again... the PM is in real trouble with the party on it. And what happens if the lefties and scientists (normally the same thing) say it should continue for longer? Then what?"
Another said the Prime Minister was "adamant that there won't be a national lockdown... that's not to say he won't be forced into one."
08:05 AM
Wales could impose circuit breaker, First Minister says
Wales could impose a circuit breaker-style lockdown, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
"We want to act now in order to prevent the worst from happening, to give us a better chance of getting through the rest of the autumn and the winter, and if a circuit-breaker is the right way to do it then that is what we will do," he told Sky News.
"We're very actively talking about and preparing for that should it be necessary."
Mr Drakeford said "detailed work" was ongoing to allow Wales to take the same decision as Northern Ireland if figures continued to go "in the wrong direction" this week.
"I'm not announcing it today but I do want people to know we are planning very seriously, so if we do need to do it we'll be in a position to do it and in a position to do it quickly," he said.
08:03 AM
Government has not discussed Greater Manchester status, claims Andy Burnham
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the Government "has not discussed" whether his area will be moved into tier three status later today.
A gold command meeting is due to take place later today - where it is expected the region will go into the highest category of restrictions along with Lancashire.
Ministers have insisted they are seeking consensus with local leaders - however that is not what Mr Burnham believes.
Since one meeting on Friday, the Government has not discussed these matters with us.
Instead, the pressure is being piled on via media briefings.
Later today I will set out why the current Tier 3 proposal is fundamentally flawed and why we won’t accept it. https://t.co/6js7Zo9zg4
Manchester could be added to tier three without agreement of local leaders, minister suggests
Greater Manchester and Lancashire could be placed into the highest category of restrictions without the agreement of local leaders, a Cabinet minister has said.
A gold command meeting will take place today to decide whether Greater Manchester and Lancashire should be reclassified to also join the top tier of restrictions, amid concern at rising coronavirus infection rates across the North West.
Speaking with Sky News this morning, Therese Coffey said the Prime Minister and Health Secretary were still seeking consensus with local leaders, but said ultimately they would impose measures if required.
"The Government will take action where necessary to save lives and livelihoods," the Work and Pensions Secretary said. "I support the Prime Minister in that call."
07:24 AM
London may be escalated to second tier, Cabinet minister says
A Cabinet minister has conceded that London may be put under more draconian restrictions, but suggested this is not imminent.
Yesterday Sadiq Khan said the capital would "inevitably" pass the "trigger point" to move from the medium level to high in the next few days.
Therese Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, told LBC radio: "Clearly these infection rates and the escalation of them will be kept under review, usually on a fortnightly basis, and if London needs to go into tier two, it may.
"But right now that is not the approach that is being recommended and we need to keep working together to ensure we can keep life as normal as we can."
07:22 AM
Sage will not turn Beige, Cabinet minister insists
A Cabinet minister has said she disagrees withTheresa May that business-minded experts should be added to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
The former prime minister reportedly made in a meeting between Boris Johnson and backbench Tory MPs, prompting the Prime Minister to quip that this would be a bad idea as it would turn Sage into Beige.
"Sage is there about the specific element of science," Ms Coffey told LBC radio. "The Prime Minister is advised by a number of different people - ministers and also officials - in order to make sure he takes that balanced approach.
"And as this approach is about having social isolation that still allows people to go to school, hospital, work that means we keep the focus as well on economic freedoms, so it is that balance of lives versus livelihoods."Sage is the place for scientists not business people."
Boris Johnson's Beige quip did not go down well with his former boss - Pool
07:18 AM
Circuit breaker not the right approach, says Cabinet minister
Therese Coffey has insisted that a circuit-breaker lockdown is not the right move, stressing that the new three-tier approach must be given time to bed in.
The Government is under pressure to act after Sir Keir Starmer issued a rallying call for a two-to-three week circuit breaker yesterday. Scotland has already imposed one and Northern Ireland is following suit with a month-long lockdown.
Asked on LBC radio whether there was appetite in the Conservative Party for such a move, the Work and Pensions Secretary said: "No, I don't.
"The reason being, Parliament has only just voted last night for this national approach of the three tiers with much stronger local measures where they are needed.
"And we need to take communities with us right across the country in having some of the national measures, but frankly the Labour Party was saying 19 out of 20 areas in these lockdowns haven't made any difference, now they want to see a national lockdown.
"I don't think it is the right approach. Right now we need to allow this chance for the localised interventions to really have an effect so that together we can be focused on saving lives and livelihoods."
07:15 AM
Cabinet minister attacks 'frankly irresponsible' Liverpool revellers
A Cabinet minister has said revellers in Liverpool last night were "frankly irresponsible" and "really disappointing".
A "large crowd" had to be dispersed from Liverpool city centre after pubs closed at 10pm last night - two hours before tough new tier three coronavirus restrictions were imposed.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey told Sky News: "It's gatherings like that which unfortunately don't help in any way to bring down the escalation of the virus."
She suggested the behaviour was not fair on people who were following the rules, as it could lead to even more draconian measures being imposed nationally, urging people to remember "hands, face, space."
She added: "If everybody did it, we would be able to bring this virus under control."
In a warning shot to the Prime Minister, backbenchers rebelled against a package of retrospective measures which included the controversial 10pm closing time for hospitality, as well as other restrictions on public spaces and fines.
The chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, said that Boris Johnson was in danger of creating a "half alive state" with the new lockdown system that will come into force in England today.
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