Nine million Londoners face tougher lockdown from tomorrow night as the government desperately ramps up efforts to tackle the coronavirus surge.
The capital will face tighter Tier Two controls from midnight tomorrow after a deal was done with mayor Sadiq Khan - although he is still demanding more money from the government and calling for a national 'circuit breaker'. Essex, Elmbridge, Barrow in Furness, York, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield and Erewash will also be placed into the same category.
It means as of Saturday residents will be banned from mixing with other households indoors, including in bars and other venues. Socialising outdoors - including in pub and private gardens - will still be allowed within the Rule of Six.
Offices and public transport can remain open, although the government's general advice to work from home where possible stands.
Overall, nearly 30million people - around half the population of England - will be in a heightened state of lockdown.
However, plans to put Greater Manchester and Lancashire into Tier Three have hit a roadblock as mayor Andy Burnham and local leaders push for a bigger bailout and threaten to sue.
A call between health minister Helen Whately and local MPs is said to have descended into a slanging match this morning, with Tories opposing the erosion of freedoms among the harshest critics.
Labour MP for Manchester Central Lucy Powell said there had been 'unanimous fury'. 'We want action but it has to be the right action,' she said. Another MP described the exchange as a 'sh**show'.
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