Boris Johnson made the announcement today after scientists said a mutation of covert 19 was spreading rapidly in London, the southeast on east of England.

The variant is said to me much more contagious, but doesn't cause more serious illness.

Wells in Scotland tonight have also tightened their coronavirus rules well.

From midnight tonight, new tier four restrictions come into force, affecting all current tier three areas in London, the southeast and east of England.

More than 17 million people are affected.

The public is being asked to stay at home, and that will be no so called Christmas bubbles.

For gatherings.

Get togethers will be restricted to meeting one other person in an open public space.

Non essential shops will close as well as Jim's beauty salons on headdresses.

For those living in tears 123 In England, Christmas bubble gatherings could only take place on Christmas Day Theory.

Journal Plan was for five days.

Meanwhile, all of Wales will go into lock down from midnight tonight, with the restrictions only used for Christmas Day on Scotland is also only limiting relaxing its rules to Christmas Day, with the highest level of restrictions coming into force for the whole country.

On Boxing Day, all travel to the rest of the UK is also banned for the festive season.

Northern Ireland has already announced its new national locked down from December 26th.

Well, with all the details, here's our political editor, Laura Kononsberg.

Literally.

I'd sat in my chair in floods of tears, on messaging, my family.

You know what we're gonna do?

Leslie Nelson was planning a family Christmas round the table in Norfolk.

Spare beds are made up.

The presents bought.

She spent the last two in hospital on fears this year might be her last.

Now her sister can't visit on her son's can't stay.

It just seems so unfair for somebody like me.

I'm terminally ill.

I won't be here next Christmas.

People could think.

Okay, that's why we'll celebrate Christmas in the summer.

I don't know if I'm gonna be here in the summer.

My sister is going to be sitting at home by herself 100 miles away on her presents under the tree.

But rising alarm about the new variant of the virus has left number 10.

Feeling there simply isn't a choice.

Christmas plans have to be dropped on.

A third of the population is back under limited, locked down in less than two hours.

It is with a very heavy heart.

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

Those living in tier four areas should not mix with anyone outside their own household at Christmas, though support bubbles will remain in place for those air particular risk of loneliness or isolation.

We have a particularly fast moving problem, with increased numbers in the area going to tear four but a generalized increase across the country.

On Wednesday, you told me in our viewers it would be inhuman to change the plans on Now that's exactly what you've done.

Aren't the millions of people whose plans have just been Tauron up entitled to feel that you just left this too late?

Because we, of course bitterly I regret the changes that are necessary.

But alas, when the facts change, you have to change your approach, Professor Witty.

If someone is packing a bag right now listening to or watching this trying to leave the southeast by midnight tonight.

What should they dio?

My short answer would be pleased.

Unpack it.

At this stage, rules will only be relaxed.

Forget together on Christmas Day in Scotland to on the next day, all of Scotland's mainland will be under the tightest limits.

Travel to other parts of the UK will be banned.

Makes me want to cry as I'm sure you're listening to.

It will make many of you want to cry because I know how harsh this sounds.

E know how unfair it is, but this virus is on fear.

But the new variant of the disease is already in Wales.

So, like the south east of England LTD.

Locked down is coming into force at midnight.

There are hundreds of people in Wales who are suffering from this new variation on that they're to be found in every single part off whales.

On that, those figures are very likely to be in a do estimation off the prevalence off this variation in Northern Ireland from Boxing Day, there will already be six weeks of tougher restrictions.

The conversations are ongoing about changes to Christmas plans on the UK Opposition had already called for a national rethink.

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

And I think the British public's entitled Toe more decisive leadership than that.

So plans are changing for millions, some rushing for a last minute late night trim before hairdressers across the Southeast close again.

It just means that I'm gonna probably work till 12 o'clock tonight, just to put a few more clients in less than two hours until so many doors close again.

Less than a week until the strangest of Christmas is the end of a year of bizarre traditions.

If you would care to repeat Laura Ginsburg, BBC News.

Well, While the new variant of Cove in 19 is particularly prevalent in London and the south east of England, there's growing concern over its possible spread to other parts of the UK.

In a moment we'll get the view from Scotland with Alexandra Mackenzie in Glasgow, But first, let's speak to James Williams, who's in Cardiff.

James, not long to go now.

Midnight is when locked down comes into force where you are.

Yeah, absolutely.

Clive.

Three days after announcing tougher Christmas rules and a whale's wide lock down from the 28th of December, the first minister has accelerated and tightened those restrictions in light of this new variant wittle detected right across Wales.

So, as you say, from midnight, the whole of whales will enter its third national lock down.

And for Christmas, two households will be able to meet plus one of the single person households, but only for Christmas Day itself.

Now, following these announcements, we've seen huge queues at many Welsh shops, many people trying to do some last minute Christmas shopping in person, leading the first minister toe, calling them not to do that.

There's no doubt that these announcements will be a big blow to people's personal Christmas plans on also too many Welsh businesses.

But a sigh of relief, I'm sure, from Welsh health leaders who have Bean urging the Welsh government to introduce an immediate lock down, given the pressure on our hospitals on whales having many off the U.

K's highest case rates on to you, Alexandra in Glasgow, tougher rules.

They're too for Christmas, including a travel ban to the rest of the UK.

That's right, Nichola Sturgeon said.

She could have cried making these announcements today.

Christmas was meant to be five days.

It's down to one day, just the 25th off December on.

People aren't going to be allowed to travel.

It will be illegal for people to travel between Scotland, Andi, the rest of the UK and people are being encouraged to have Christmas at home just within their household, and not within that extended Christmas bubble that we've talked about before on also mainland Scotland that will go into Level four restrictions on Boxing Day.

Now that's pretty much locked down, and island communities will go into Level three school pupils.

They were all expecting to go back to school at the beginning of January, but some will now be studying at home online, learning until at least the middle of January.

Okay, Alexander Mackenzie in Glasgow on James Williams in Cardiff.

Thanks to you both.

Let's take a look at the latest government coronavirus figures now, and there were 27,000 and 52 new cases in the last 24 hour period, with the average number of new infections reported per day in the last week standing 24,752 534 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours.

That's of people who died within 28 days of a positive covered 19 test.

On average.

In the past week, there were 436 deaths per day, bringing the total number across the UK to 67,000 and 75.

Well, our medical editor, Fergus Walsh, joins us now.

Fergus, what is the effect of this new variant on?

But, um how on, why has it affected government thinking so radically?

Well, Clive, this new variant appears to be up to 70% mawr transmissible.

That's really significant.

Crucially, it does not appear to cause more significant disease, but it makes it much harder to control the epidemic.

Now.

It's thought it could push the reproductive number.

The our number off coronavirus up by North 0.4.

It's currently between 1.1 on 1.2 across the UK It was first identified in Kent in September.

It seems to be just one of these spontaneous mutations in our accounts for six in 10 cases in London on in the east of England, but it spread throughout the UK Now viruses mutate all the time in itself.

That's not a worry.

And sometimes when they become more transmissible, they become less lethal.

Now coronavirus is actually much more stable than flu.

We need a new flu vaccine every year because it mutates such a lot.

It's thought that the current co vid vaccine will still be effective against this new variant.

350,000 people in the UK have now had their first dose on the first.

The hope is that most over 60 fives and vulnerable will be protected by Easter.

But that's a long way off.

Is going to meet a long winter off restrictions ahead.

Okay, Fergus.

Thank you.

Fergus Walsh.

There are medical editor.