Tier 4 announcement: What time is Matt Hancock’s speech today, December 30?

THE next tier system review, led by the Health Secretary, will take place on Wednesday, December 30.

But what time is the announcement, and how can I watch it?

What time is Tier 4 announcement today, December 30?

Mr Hancock will address the House of Commons at 3pm today to announce any changes to the Tier system.

He is also set to mention any additional measures the Government will be taking.

But his announcement may come slightly later, as the vote on the Brexit deal comes first on the agenda today.

What will be announced?

The Tier system is reviewed every two weeks in line with Government guidance and scientific advice.

Any changes announced are expected to come into effect on Saturday, January 2.

With rising cases in all regions of England and record numbers of patients in hospital, it is likely that more regions will be moving up a tier rather than down.

Figures from NHS England showed there were 21,787 patients in NHS hospitals in England as of 8am on Tuesday, compared with 20,426 on Monday, and 18,974 at the first wave peak on April 12.

Mr Hancock confirmed this morning that the tier system will change once he has had the opportunity to update Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: “Yes, I’m going to set out the details in the House of Commons today.

“Numbers are going up, not just in London as in the past few weeks but also in other parts of the country.”

More than six million people in east and south east England went into the highest level of restrictions on Boxing Day, meaning 24 million are now affected.

The draconian move to Tier 4 comes in response to a new Covid strain, which was identified in the South East back in September, which is now spreading throughout Britain and becoming the dominant mutation.

The Health Secretary will probably make an additional announcement, reminding Brits to stay at home on New Year’s Eve.

Over 43 per cent of people will bring in the new year in Tier 4.

Mr Hancock will no doubt mention how Oxford University’s coronavirus vaccine has been approved by regulators today – and the jab will be rolled out to millions of Brits from Monday.

Giving a glimmer of hope this morning, the Health Secretary said the vaccine will help Britain out of the pandemic by spring, as cases surge across the country.

How can I watch the press conference?

You will be able to watch Mr Hancock’s speech live on BBC News and Sky News.

If you are unable to watch the Health Secretary speak live, you will be able to watch it later on BBC iPlayer and Sky News through its YouTube channel.