BORIS Johnson will urge families to isolate before joining Christmas bubbles for five days, it’s emerged tonight.
It comes as the Prime Minister vows to forge ahead with plans to relax Covid rules for the festive season – despite opposition from all sides.
The PM is to urge Brits to self-isolate before meeting loved ones for Christmas celebrations, it’s reported
It comes amid uncertainty over the rules for the festive season
More than 10m people in London and the south-east are heading into Tier 3 tonight
Talks between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the issue were postponed tonight, with no resolution for Brits waiting for clarity.
But it’s understood the PM will seek to compromise with isolation requirements for those planning to see loved ones during the break.
The Telegraph reports that the Government will issue stronger guidance for the season. However, officials will stop short of changing rules that say three households can meet from December 23 to 27.
It’s understood No10 were concerned that cancelling the relaxation could lead to lower compliance in January and beyond – when the NHS is historically the most busy, even pre-coronavirus.
Officials have vowed to keep Christmas for months, telling the public they can meet loved ones if they stick with lockdowns and the new three-tier system.
But plans to relax the guidance have faced scrutiny from scientists, some MPs and doctors.
And the discussion on what to do comes as 10 million more Brits in London and the south-east head into Tier 3 tonight.
A Government source told the paper: “We’ve set out the rules.
“People know what they are. It would be wrong to change them this close to Christmas.”
However, they added: “The Prime Minister will want to be clear that minimising the risk to themselves and their loved ones is something they should consider.”
Earlier this evening, the PM’s spokesman said: “Our intention to allow families and friends to meet up remains.”
Talks led by Michael Gove with the home nations ended in deadlock on whether to keep Christmas “bubbles” allowing three households to mix.
Sources close to the talks said nothing firm was agreed, with decisions expected today.
The leaders also discussed whether to change the bubble sizes.
It’s currently understood that the UK Government is resisting pressure to change the Christmas rules.
Officials are instead looking at how best to strengthen the message and urge people not to travel unless they really have to.
But Scotland appears to be keen to toughen up the rules.
Nicola Sturgeon has warned she could enforce tougher rules in Scotland
Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford is also concerned about plans to relax the rules for five days, it’s reported
One source on the call said: “Everything was discussed — from status quo to perhaps looking at other options.
CHRISTMAS FEARS
“The options we are looking at are a range of things like possibly changing the number of days or possibly changing the number of people who can meet. It’s really a very, very fine balance.”
Scots First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh leader Mark Drakeford both strongly hinted they wanted to cut the Christmas window or even axe it.
Ms Sturgeon hinted Scotland could take its own action even if it was different from the Government’s.
And more pressure was heaped on the PM after respected medical journals the BMJ and HSJ joined forces to warn the Christmas plans were rash and would cost lives.
They said: “When government devised the current plans to allow household mixing over Christmas it had assumed the Covid-19 demand on the NHS would be decreasing.
“But it is not, it is rising, and the emergence of a new strain of the virus has introduced further potential jeopardy.”
Millions more will face closed pubs and restaurants for at least a month from midnight
Countries across Europe are tightening the rules for Christmas
Daily cases have risen by 50 per cent in a week, as 18,450 tested positive in the past 24 hours.
Another 506 deaths were recorded, bringing the UK’s toll to 64,908.
Downing Street insisted it would go ahead with the festive plan despite London, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire being put under Tier 3 curbs from midnight.
The PM’s official spokesman yesterday said data would be kept under constant review but that the Government wanted to give families and friends the option to meet up.
He told a Westminster briefing: “As we always have done throughout the pandemic, we keep that under constant review but our intention to allow families and friends to meet up over the Christmas period remains.”
He refused to say when families could make arrangements with confidence that the plans will not change.
Earlier, minister Steve Barclay urged people to “do the minimum” seeing family and friends this Christmas, a stark watering down of the Government’s message.
A UK Government source stressed there were “no plans” to change the Christmas rules.
But other European countries have announced stricter rules over Christmas than the UK.
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