British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday imposed tighter restrictions on millions of people in the UK and drastically scaled back plans to ease restrictions over Christmas.

The number of Cove in 19 cases in England has soared in the last two weeks because of a variant of the virus, one that scientists say is up to 70% mawr transmissible.

Even though Johnson and his scientific advisers believe vaccines will still be effective and the new strain is not more deadly, he said urgent action was needed given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, the potential risk it poses, it is with a very heavy heart.

I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned in England.

Those living in tearful areas should not mix with anyone outside their own household at Christmas.

London and south east England, about a third of the country's population, will now be placed in a new Tier four level of rules requiring people to stay at home except for essential reasons such as work, non essential retail and indoor entertainment will close social mixing will be limited to meeting one other person in an outdoor space.

Opposition labor leader Kier Starmer was critical of the prime minister.

We can celebrate it sensibly.

Who on Wednesday said it would be inhuman to ban Christmas?

Millions of families across the country will be heartbroken by this news having their Christmas plans ripped up.

I'm really frustrated because I raised this with the prime minister on Wednesday and he dismissed that went on to tell people to have a merry little Christmas only three days later to rip up their plan.

Theo New rules will come into effect at midnight on Saturday.