The new mutant strain of Covid is spreading 70% faster than any other form of the virus, Boris Johnson has told the nation.

The prime minister said the strain could increase the UK’s R Rate by 0.4 as he announced brand new ‘tier four’ restrictions for London and the south-east this afternoon.

The festive bubble policy across tiers one, two and three areas of England has also been dramatically scaled back.

There is no evidence the new strain is more lethal than previous strains.

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