Boris Johnson is expected to announce new national restrictions for England, similar to the exclusion in March, because the British picture still looks bleak. For the seventh consecutive day, the number of new cases recorded is above 50,000 – 58,784 on Monday, with 407 new deaths. In a television address at 20:00 GMT, the PM is likely to urge the public to follow the new rules from midnight. The national Covid alert level has risen to five – its highest level – and pressure has increased on ministers, acknowledging that England’s level system is not strong enough to contain the new, more contagious variant. Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer is leading the calls for looming nationwide shutdowns like those in March, and the prime minister himself has said. Parliament is being recalled early from its Christmas break to vote on new measures on Wednesday.