A second national lockdown is now "inevitable" to stop the soaring cases of coronavirus, experts have said.
Professor John Edmunds, who is advising the Government's coronavirus response, has criticised local measures and said new national restrictions were needed immediately.
He told BBC Newsnight that the current localised restrictions are "not working" - merely "delaying the inevitable."
"These local restrictions that have been put in place in much of the north of England really haven't been very effective," he said.
He added: "We need to take much more stringent measures, not just in the north of England, we need to do it countrywide, and bring the epidemic back under control."
It comes as Mr Hancock appeared in Parliament, where he told fellow MPs a simplified approach would be taken, reports BirminghamLive.
There are reports a traffic light system - with red, amber and green levels of measures - would be created nationwide, in a bid to simplify the existing localised rules.
"I’ll update the House in due course on what action the Government is taking so we can have more consistent approaches to levels of local action, working with our colleagues in local government," Mr Hancock said.
"For now, it’s essential that people follow the guidance in their local area."
In the North East, households remain banned from mixing indoors, including pubs or restaurants, and will face fines for doing so.
Swathes of Merseyside, Birmingham and Greater Manchester remain in lockdown - with Luton the only town in England to exit enhanced measures.
Mr Hancock added: "The proposals that we are working through and that I will bring to this House are to have a more simplified approach to the local action that we took. We have shared that approach with the devolved administrations."
