Prime Minister Boris Johnson has attempted to clear up confusion about whether people should still hold Christmas parties by insisting that the events should not be cancelled.
The government is once again facing accusations of mixed messaging on coronavirus.
It comes after business minister George Freeman admitted he had cancelled his team’s in-person Christmas party in favour of a Zoom gathering amid concerns about the transmissibility of the omicron variant.
Mr Johnson has said there is no need to cancel Christmas parties or nativity plans, speaking after he received his Covid booster jab.
“People shouldn’t be cancelling things...there’s no need for that at all,” he said.
When asked about the Christmas and Hanukkah gatherings held at Downing Street during lockdown restrictions last year, he reiterated that the events were “accordance with the rules”.
Meanwhile, the UK has recorded 53,945 new Covid cases today – the highest daily figure since 17 July.
A total of 141 Covid-linked deaths have also been reported.
On Wednesday, 48,374 new cases and 171 deaths were recorded.
