Boris Johnson announced that from Thursday, people in England will once again be told to stay at home, and can only go out for specific reasons including work and

New restrictions will see millions of businesses, including non-essential shops, pubs, restaurants, gyms and hairdressers, forced to shut for four weeks.

As long as the move is approved by MPs in a vote expected on Wednesday, the rules will come into force at 12.01am on Thursday November 5.

Boris Johnson tonight said that the move was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus, which has claimed 46,229 lives since the start of the pandemic.

The measure, set to be in place until December 2, will see indoor household mixing banned and all non-work related travel within the UK discouraged.