London, Dec 24, 2020, SPA -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned today, on Thursday that the spread of a new variant of the coronavirus meant there would be difficult times ahead, citing the need to control its rapid spread, Reuters reported. "I know that it's been very, very tough over the last few weeks and I must tell people, it will continue to be difficult, not least basically because of the speed with which the new variant is spreading," Johnson told a news conference. --SPA 19:39 LOCAL TIME 16:39 GMT 0014 www.spa.gov.sa/w1473190