Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the Cabinet to discuss the Government's coronavirus response, Downing Street has confirmed.
The meeting will be held at 1.30pm today after plans for a second national lockdown were leaked last night.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "Cabinet will meet at 1.30pm today to discuss the Government's coronavirus response."
It was understood that The Prime Minister met with his Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove and Health Minister Matt Hancock for crunch talks on Friday.
They came to the conclusion that more severe restrictions of freedoms are necessary due to the demand being placed on hospitals by rising Covid-19 cases, according to reports.
Mr Johnson is then said to have come to a reluctant conclusion that a full national lockdown for England until December 1 was necessary.
No final decisions are said to have been made but Mr Johnson will address the nation on Monday about the next steps of the battle against coronavirus, according to the reports.
It came at the end of a week in which coronavirus deaths in the UK have risen to levels last seen in May.
On Friday, the Covid-19 death toll shot up by 274, while infections increased by more than 24,000.
This is the biggest Friday jump in deaths since May 29, when 274 fatalities were also recorded.
The Office for National Statistics estimated that 568,100 people in households were infected with coronavirus in the week ending October 23
Jonathan Van Tam, the deputy chief medical officer, told ministers on Thursday morning that the virus is "out of control".
It is likely that everything but essential shops, nurseries, universities and schools will be shut.
The PM is expected to hold a press conference on the matter on Monday.
"The data is really bad," a source told The Times.
"We are seeing coronavirus rising all over the country and hospitals are really struggling to cope."
Government ministers were shown data suggesting that NHS beds would be overwhelmed by Covid-19 patients.
Sage experts believe the looming lockdown will have to last longer than two weeks to have the desired effect to protect the NHS and save lives.
Elsewhere, an inquiry has been launched after the plans for tougher restrictions were leaked.
It is understood that Downing Street has launched an investigation to find the source of the story, amid reports that the Government had wanted to keep the plan quiet until Monday.
The alleged "briefing" of the story sparked criticism from the chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, claiming it had increased pressure on the emergency services.
John Apter, head of the organisation which represents more than 120,000 rank-and-file officers, called for "clear communication" on coronavirus measures.
He tweeted on Saturday morning: "To those briefing selective media on a potential national lockdown please understand the impact this has.
"It creates a media frenzy, causes confusion and ahead of any official announcement encourages some to make the most of their pre-lockdown time. This is not a good mix!"
We'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
