The Prime Minister reportedly ignored warnings from scientists over the need for tougher border controls to stop new variants of coronavirus entering the UK.
Scientists advising the government were said to have urged that only hotel quarantine would stop the mutant covid strains entering the country.
These warnings were reportedly made before it emerged that the South African variant was spreading in Britain - reports Mirror Online.
Boris Johnson announced last week quarantine measures for travellers from 30 “high-risk” countries in an attempt to stop them from spreading the new strains.
Downing Street had been advised by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) a week earlier that “geographically targeted travel bans” would not be enough to stop the arrival of new strains, The Times reports.
Instead, the paper reports, scientists urged that the only way to even “get close” to stopping them was by either closing the borders completely or introducing mandatory quarantine measures for everyone entering Britain.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, both argued for the closure of the borders last week but were reportedly over-ruled by the Prime Minister.
It comes after health officials said 11 people - who have no links to travel - had tested positive for the South African variant across England in the last five or six days.
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People living in postcodes, including one in Southport, where the mutation has been detected were warned to stay at home and get a test even if they don't have symptoms.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave the stark announcement yesterday after 105 cases of the new mutation were identified across eight postcodes in England.
Door-to-door testing is set to start today in the postcodes where it has been identified.
He said that while there is no evidence the strain is more deadly, "we need to come down on it hard."
