New and tougher Covid restrictions are "inevitable" as the Omicron variant is set to leave the NHS "on the verge of collapse", Sadiq Khan has warned.
The Mayor of London hopes Brits will be able to celebrate Christmas safely, but insists social distancing measures should be introduced and possibly household mixing.
Last night the Government's scientific advisors warned current Covid measures are not enough to keep cases at bay and are not enough to protect the NHS.
And the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies said hospital admissions could reach 2,000 a day by the end of the year, before peaking as high as 3,000, if further restrictions are not introduced.
But Health Secretary Sajid Javid said hospitalisations will rise, but "we can't say" hospitals will be overwhelmed at this point.
Speaking on Andrew Marr's final BBC show, Mr Khan said: "If we don't bring in new restrictions sooner rather than later you will see more positive cases and potentially public services like the NHS on the verge of collapse, if not collapsing."
If we don't, he added: "The number of cases is only going one way and the issue isn’t the seriousness of the consequences, not just that, it’s also the numbers of people who have the virus.”
Professor Sir Mark Walport, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said he believed new measures are needed to combat the Omicron variant.
Asked by Trevor Phillips On Sunday on Sky News if the scientific data suggests further restrictions are needed and needed now, he said: “In a word, yes.”
He said infections are “rising fast” and there needs to be time allowed for recently administered vaccines and boosters to take effect.
“We need to act to hold down the rate of hospital admissions, reduce the pressure on the workforce – and of course a lot of people are off sick at the moment – and most importantly of all, give people the chance to get vaccinated, to get boosted, and allow time for those vaccinations to have effect.”
