Boris Johnson is set to announce a raft of strict new lockdown curbs in the battle against the UK’s second wave of coronavirus.
The crackdown has already begun with the Prime Minister imposing a 10pm curfew on pubs, bars and restaurants from Thursday, while ordering at the bar will also be banned.
Ministers are meeting on the Cobra emergency committee this afternoon - only ever convened at the junctures of major crises - which is set to be followed by a TV broadcast from the PM this evening.
It comes after the UK’s four chief medical officers moved the Covid alert level from level 3 to 4, the second highest threat marker, meaning the “epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially”.
As fears of the UK's surging case rates mount, here's what you need to know about Boris Johnson’s speech today.
What will Boris Johnson say in his speech?
The PM will announce what Number 10 has already confirmed - that the hospitality sector will be subject to a curfew and restricted to table service only.
More restrictions are expected this evening, including tightened rules around socialising with other households and the Government ditching its pleas for workers to return to offices.
Instead, the PM is expected to return to urging Britons to work from home if they can - with possible knock-on effects for essential travel.
According to The Daily Telegraph, other potential measures being considered include a further delay to trials of spectators returning to professional sport events, such as the Premier League, and the closure of indoor concert venues.
The exact list of further measures will be finalised this morning during a meeting of the PM’s Cabinet and Cobra, the first such emergency meeting in four months, with First Ministers in the three devolved nations on the call.
What time is Boris Johnson's speech?
The Prime Minister will give a statement to the House of Commons this afternoon, which is expected to be at around 12.30pm.
He will then address the nation in a special televised message at 8pm, only the third TV time he has done so during the crisis - the others to announce lockdown and then his “roadmap” back to normality.
How can I watch Boris Johnson’s speech?
You can follow the PM’s speech live on the Standard’s live blog, where our reporters will provide key updates from the speech as they happen and analysis.
If you’d like to watch it live, the speech will be broadcast on the BBC News Channel and Sky News. Radio stations such as LBC and BBC Radio 5 Live will also likely carry the speech live.
Why is Boris Johnson making the speech?
Ministers and experts are growing increasingly concerned about the surging rates of coronavirus cases.
On Monday, the coronavirus alert status was raised to the second-highest level for the first time since June 19.
It came hours after Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, warned that the UK could see 50,000 Covid-19 cases per day and “200-plus” deaths per day within two months "if we do not change course".
Professor Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, warned on Monday that the UK has “turned a corner” for the worst and action is needed to "break unnecessary links" between households.
The UK’s critical R number - the reproduction rate of the virus - has risen above the dangerous threshold of 1 to 1.1-1.4, meaning every 10 infected people transmit the virus to between 11 and 14 others.
Another 4,368 cases were confirmed on Monday, with another 11 deaths, bringing the UK total to nearly 400,000 cases and more than 41,000 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.
