That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for this evening. Thank you for following along with the live blog. All the latest news will be on the homepage so keep an eye out for any further developments as England moves to ‘Plan B’ Covid restrictions. In a tweet, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “I welcome stronger measures to protect people from Covid. “But Boris Johnson’s recent actions have undermined public trust. His contempt for the public won’t be forgotten. Serious times call for serious leadership. “I hope the Prime Minister takes his own guidance this time.” Scientific advisors provided ministers with a stark outline of what the consequences of inaction could be. In a consensus statement on Tuesday, the SPI-M advisory committee predicted: “If initial estimates of transmission advantage and immune escape from South Africa are applicable to the UK population, there is the potential for a very substantial peak of infections much larger than occurred during the winter wave of January 2021.” Even if the severity were half that of Delta, this could be outweighed by the sheer number of infections, the scientists said. The government’s Sage advisory committee noted that Omicron is on a steep upward trajectory in the UK, with probably thousands of daily infections already occurring and a projection for Omicron to become the dominant variant within a few weeks. Without any changes to measures in place, the number of hospitalisations from Omicron could reach 1,000 per day or higher in England by the end of the year, with a peak likely to be higher than 1,000 to 2,000 Omicron hospital admissions per day. “For it to be below this level there would need to be only a small degree of immune escape and very high protection from boosters against Omicron,” the minutes said. The Sage advice, released on Wednesday, also suggested additional infection control measures should be considered in hospitals, care homes and prisons to help prevent the spread of the highly transmissible variant. Universities in England are to be told they must continue holding face-to-face seminars or classes where currently planned, despite the requirement for working from home from Monday. While the teaching term has ended at some universities already, others are continuing for another week. Meanwhile, schools barely got a mention in the Plan B measures for England, which included none of the additional mask requirements being called for by the teaching unions. Boris Johnson did say: We don’t want children to be taken out of school before the end of term, not that there is long to go now, we don’t want nativity plays to be cancelled. Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers union, said the Omicron variant made it necessary for extended measures in England’s schools and colleges. He said: Further measures including extending the use of face coverings in classrooms, an immediate and extended programme of onsite Covid testing of pupils, and robust rules and support for close contacts to self-isolate would have a significant impact on helping to break the chain of Covid transmission and minimise further disruption to pupils’ education. Boris Johnson is responsible for the sudden switch to Plan B because of his decision to scrap all anti-Covid restrictions in England earlier this year and not respond to high infection rates by taking steps to curb the spread of coronavirus, according to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus. It is made up of MPs and peers from all the main parties at Westminster, including the Conservatives. Key members include Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, former Conservative health minister Dr Dan Poulter, Labour MP Clive Lewis and Caroline Lucas, the Green Party’s sole MP. “By deciding to remove restrictions wholesale and refusing to introduce minor mitigation measures when so clearly necessary, the prime minister paved the road to Plan B”, said Moran, the cross-party group’s chair. But in a swipe at Johnson over the infamous Downing Street party a year ago, Moran added: “While it’s vitally important people observe these new restrictions/guidelines, the public will understandably find it extremely difficult to take instruction from the prime minister when he and those around him continue to show utter disregard for Covid rules. “We now call on the prime minister to do everything he can to restore public trust by coming clean about what happened and ensuring a full investigation is conducted in a timely manner”. The new Covid restrictions impose an “unfair double standard” on the live music industry, according to the CEO of LIVE, the group that organises the International Live Music Conference. Greg Parmley said: The introduction of Plan B results in an unfair double standard that allows people to go on all-day pub crawls in crowded bars without having to prove their Covid-19 status, whilst live music venues get hit with certification. Across the country, music venues and events already have tried, tested and workable systems in place to ensure that live events continue to be safe – and these remain effective. However, after such a prolonged closure throughout the pandemic it is important the industry is able to remain open and that the Government have listened to the industry and included the use of lateral flow testing in Covid certification. Damien Gayle The nightclub industry has accused Boris Johnson of throwing nightclubs and bars “under the bus to save his own skin”. Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, described the prime minister’s announcement that the NHS Covid pass would be mandatory for entry into nightclubs as “devastating news for the nightlife sector”. Trade in nighttime economy businesses in Scotland and Wales, where passes are already enforced, was down 30% and 26% respectively, Kill said. Younger people, who make up the bulk of the clientele of the nightclub industry, are the least likely to be vaccinated against Covid, particularly those from minority ethnic groups. According to figures collated by OPENSafely, while about 67% of people aged 18-29 have received two doses of Covid vaccine, the figure drops to just 35% among people of that age group of black Caribbean heritage. “The Government’s own report on the subject concluded that vaccine passports wouldn’t even have a significant impact on virus transmission – they don’t stop the spread of covid but they do damage trade,” Kill said. You do, therefore, have to question the timing and rationale for this announcement. Is this sound evidence-based public policy making or is this an attempt to move the news agenda on from a damaging story about the Downing St Christmas party? It feels that nightclubs and bars have been thrown under the bus by the Prime Minister for him to save his own skin. And of course these businesses, who have already sacrificed so much during the pandemic, will be asking – ‘why are we being asked to carry more of the burden when it seemed that the most senior Government officials felt they didn’t need to do their bit?’ The sector is already reeling from lengthy closures during the pandemic. Research by the NTIA estimated that 393,000 jobs have been lost across the night-time economy due to Covid-19, including 86,000 in the “night-time cultural economy”, which includes nightclubs and theatres. Hospital bosses welcomed what they see as the overdue shift to Plan B - but warned that it may have come too late to avoid another lockdown and disruption to NHS care. “We are relieved the government has finally listened and hope these precautionary measures have not come too late. No one wants another national lockdown or for patient care to become disrupted again, given how hard frontline teams are working, including in tackling the elective care backlog and steering the booster programme”, said Matthew Taylor, the chief executive of the NHS Confederation. It represents NHS care trusts in England and Wales. “Health leaders across the country have been very clear with us that it is better to be safe than sorry. If there are additional measures that could be taken that do not drastically interfere with people’s daily lives but could make a big difference to cutting transmission of the disease then it would be reckless not to take them.” Taylor - who worked in Downing Street as head of the No10 policy unit under Tony Blair - urged the public to play their part in reducing the spread of the virus too. “As set out in our NotTooMuchToMask campaign, curbing the spread is not just a government responsibility as the public has a vital role to play too,” he said. “This includes by wearing face coverings, getting vaccinated, keeping indoor spaces ventilated, cleaning their hands regularly and getting tested.” Aubrey Allegretti In a debate on the new Covid measures, Sajid Javid, the health secretary, faced furious calls to “resign” from some Tory MPs in the Commons, while others claimed he had “jumped the gun” on introducing restrictions that were “difficult to justify”. Several also disparaged the government’s credibility in the wake of recent Downing Street parties. Mark Harper, a former chief whip who now chairs the Covid Recovery Group, questioned why anyone should “do things that people working in No 10 Downing Street are not prepared to do”. David Davis, a former cabinet minister, also said there was no evidence introducing vaccine passports would drive take-up of the jab, while Liam Fox said never-ending threats of overloading the NHS should not be used “as a means of maintaining semi-permanent restrictions on our people”. Javid told the Commons: “I can confirm that the Chancellor, indeed every member of the Cabinet, is fully behind these decisions.” Met will not investigate allegations of Christmas party at No 10 Good evening. I’m Tom Ambrose and will continue to bring you all the latest reaction from that Boris Johnson press conference this evening. We start with some breaking news. The Metropolitan police say they will not investigate allegations of a party at Downing Street due to an “absence of evidence” and a force policy not to investigate retrospective breaches of coronavirus regulations. This is obviously despite a leaked video yesterday, published by ITV News, in which the prime minister’s former spokesperson Allegra Stratton joked about the party in question, referencing cheese and wine being served and laughing about the lack of social distancing. In a statement, Scotland Yard said: The Metropolitan Police Service has received a significant amount of correspondence relating to allegations reported in the media that the health protection (coronavirus, restrictions) regulations were breached at gatherings at No 10 Downing Street in November and December 2020. All this correspondence has been considered by detectives in detail, as well as footage published by ITV News. The correspondence and footage does not provide evidence of a breach of the health protection regulations, but restates allegations made in the media. Based on the absence of evidence and in line with our policy not to investigate retrospective breaches of such regulations, the Met will not commence an investigation at this time. The Met has had discussions with the Cabinet Office in relation to the investigation by the cabinet secretary. If any evidence is found as a result of that investigation, it will be passed to the Met for further consideration. Summary Here’s a summary of the key points at the press conference Johnson confirmed a move to plan B because of the rapid spread of Omicron. He said early analysis suggested cases could be doubling at a rate of as little as 2.5 to 3 days. Face masks are to become compulsory in most public indoor venues, other than hospitality, from Friday. The NHS Covid Pass will be mandatory in specific settings. From Monday people will be asked to work from home if they can. But Christmas parties can take place if people are careful. Johnson said the vaccine programme remained the key method of tackling the pandemic, but conceded “we need to go further and faster” on the booster programme. Johnson paid tribute to Allegra Stratton following her resignation over a video in which she was seen joking about a Christmas party in Downing Street last year. The prime minster said she had done an “outstanding” job for the Cop26 climate conference and that he was sorry to lose her. Johnson suggested that the cabinet secretary, Simon Case’s investigation into government Christmas parties would not be confined to the party in Downing on 18 December. Case may want to “look at other things”, Johnson said when asked about a party he attended on 27 November. Johnson repeated the claim that no Covid rules had been broken based on what he had been told. Whitty said: “Inevitably, there have been bumps on the road and things we would do differently if we had done them again, that’s obvious.” And with that Johnson brought an end to the press conference. Q: Will Case look at all government parties last year. And will the inquiry conclude by the end of the year? Why has the booster campaign been so slow? Johnson said the booster campaign has been quicker than any other country but it needs to go faster. If the boosters can hold Omicron we can get back to the road we were on. On parties, Johnson said Case would be allowed to get to the bottom of what happened, and he repeated the claim that no rules were broken according to everything he had been told. Q: What’s your message on Christmas parties and nativities this year? Johnson said we should go ahead with parties but exercise caution. Q: Why have you asked Case to investigate the party on 18 December but not the one on 27 November where you gave a speech? Johnson says Case may want to “look at other things”. He added: All the evidence I can see is that people in this building have stayed within the rules. If people wish to bring allegations to my attention or to the police or whoever, and then of course, there will be proper sanctions. But in the meantime, I think that we should let Simon [Case] get on with his job. Q: How do you feel about seeing Stratton resign? Does it question your leadership? Are restrictions the reality of living with Covid? Johnson says Stratton has been “outstanding” and he is sorry to lose her. I take responsibility for what happens in this building, he added. Vallance said: “We’re on a road from pandemic to endemic where this becomes a more sort of regular infection like flu disease over time, but we’re in a sort of bumpy transition, and that’s going to be difficult.” But he insisted boosters were proving effective. Whitty said: “We are immeasurably better off now than we were with the vaccines we’ve got, with drugs, with better hospital treatment.” This was a setback but not back to square one, Whitty added. Q: Why is the party being investigated now. Is it because you have been caught out? Did you attend some of those events? Johnson: “I repeat what I said in the house and earlier today. The cabinet secretary will conduct an inquiry into what took place on December 18.” Whitty said: “We all know that people get very angry, including colleagues and friends when they feel that it’s unfair.”