Coronavirus daily headlines as Matt Hancock due to announce tiers

direct to your inboxA new variant of coronavirus has been discovered, the Health Secretary has announced. Matt Hancock appeared in the House of Commons this afternoon to give an urgent statement to MPs on the coronavirus pandemic in the UK.

direct to your inboxThe latest coronavirus infection rates demonstrate a widening gap between northern and southern boroughs in Greater Manchester.Public Health data from the week ending December 6 shows that boroughs which lie south of the city now have an infection rate lower than the national average.It comes as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the disparity in rates could see the conurbation split up into different tiers when the government come to review the system next week.He

direct to your inboxAndy Burnham is planning to freeze the element of council tax bills that pays for mayoral functions next April.The precept - which is used for a number of Greater Manchester-level purposes, including part-funding the fire service and mayoral priorities such as free bus passes for young people - will stay as it is under proposals that will go before council leaders in the New Year.That would see the mayoral charge stay at £70.73 for a Band B property.Last April, the precept

direct to your inbox The government could ease coronavirus restrictions once most vulnerable people have received a vaccine, it has been suggested.

direct to your inbox Matt Hancock was reduced to tears during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday. The Health Secretary was on the ITV news programme the morning the first coronavirus vaccinations were delivered in the UK.

follow our blog.Coronavirus infections fell by almost a third in England during the second national lockdown, research suggests.There was a 30 per cent drop in cases across the country over almost a fortnight this month, according to the latest findings from Imperial College London’s React study.Regionally, the research suggests infections fell by more than half in the North West and North East, and were also down in Yorkshire and the Humber.But prevalence remained high in the East Midlands and

The prime minister is facing a revolt from members of his own party after the majority of the country was placed under tough new measures to control coronavirus.Health secretary Matt Hancock outlined which areas would be placed under which tiers in Parliament yesterday.Just three places in England managed to avoid being placed in either Tier 2 or Tier 3, which both include tougher controls on the hospitality industry.Now, a number of MPs have said they will not support the new measures when they

coronavirus restrictions has led to a chorus of disapproval from Andy Burnham and many of the region's MPs.

revised tier system, which will come into force on December 2 when the national lockdown ends, government ministers will impose the top level of restrictions on the highest risk areas.Previously, ministers had entered into discussions with local leaders over the what measures would be needed and how they would be funded.In Greater Manchester, mayor Andy Burnham led several days of intense talks as he tried to negotiate a more substantial financial package than the one the government had

follow our blog.The government is meeting with the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to discuss plans to allow families to reunite over Christmas.A Cobra meeting bringing together the UK government and the devolved administrations will be held this afternoon to agree on a four-nation approach to relaxing coronavirus restrictions over the festive period.

hereLast month Andy Burnham and other local leaders spent two weeks negotiating with the government for better financial support to help businesses that would be forced to close, the self-employed and others who lose income, before Tier 3 was eventually imposed. Mr Shapps responded by saying 'individual negotiations' last time led to rates not being 'gotten on top of as quickly as possible'.He said that Liverpool, which agreed to Tier 3 'quite quickly' had seen cases come down quickly and called

COVID-19 vaccine which has been developed by the University of Oxford and manufacturer AstraZeneca.The trial revealed that while the vaccine is 70 percent effective against coronavirus, it can increase to 90 percent when one half dose is given and followed by a full dose at least one month later.The UK has placed orders for 100 million doses of the vaccine, which is enough to vaccinate most of the population, if the jab receives regulatory approval.The government has also ordered 40m doses of a