Boris Johnson has confirmed that the UK will continue with the planned easing of restrictions over Christmas.
UK Cabinet minister Michael Gove and the leaders of the devolved administrations finished an urgent round of talks about the scheduled relaxation around 10.45am on Wednesday morning.
The leaders have decided to proceed with the current Christmas arrangements - although Wales is announcing stricter measures - but are encouraging people to use common sense around social contact.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs that the four UK nations have agreed to continue "in principle" with the easing of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas.
At Prime Minister's Questions Mr Johnson said it was right to "stress the importance of people taking care this Christmas", particularly due to the risk of asymptomatic transmission of coronavirus
He told MPs: "We should exercise extreme caution in the way we celebrate Christmas.
"We can celebrate it sensibly but we have to be extremely cautious in the way we behave."
Under the plans agreed by all four nations people will be able to travel across the UK between December 23-27 to form a "Christmas bubble" with three households.
Between 23 and 27 December, the three households in a "Christmas bubble " can mix indoors and stay overnight - although Wales is today announcing that number will be cut to two there.
Northern Ireland has a window of 22 to 28 December, to allow time to travel between the nations.
Bubbles can meet each other in homes, at a place of worship and in an outdoor public space or garden
The bubbles will be fixed, so you cannot mix with two households on Christmas Day and two different ones on Boxing Day. Households in your Christmas bubble can't bubble with anyone else.
Yesterday, for only the second time in 100 years, the British Medical Journal and Health Service Journal joined forces to call for Christmas bubbles to be axed.
The journals wrote: “We believe the government is about to blunder into another major error that will cost many lives.
“If our political leaders fail to take swift and decisive action, they can no longer claim to be ‘protecting the NHS.’"
