Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to make a televised address at 8 pm tonight (Monday) outlining further steps to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases in England. 

A spokesman for Number 10 said, "the spread of the new variant has led to rapidly escalating case numbers".

It added: "The PM is clear further steps must be now taken to arrest this rise and to protect the NHS and save lives.

"He will set those out this evening." 

The UK Parliament will be recalled, allowing MPs to vote on any new measures on Wednesday. 

And today, the UK's coronavirus level was upgraded to number 5. 

Risk levels are measured by a five-level, colour-coded alert system.

The government unveiled the system in May. The prime minister said it would help decide how tough social-distancing measures should be.

There are five levels, with five (red) meaning a "material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed" - extremely strict social distancing is required. 

The announcement comes after the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, placed Scotland into a national lockdown from Midnight tonight (Monday). 

In Scotland, new laws will require people to stay at home and work from home where possible.

Outdoor gatherings are also to be cut back, with people only allowed to meet one person from one other household.

Places of worship are to be closed, group exercise banned, and schools will largely operate via online and remote learning.

These rules will apply across the Scottish mainland until at least the end of January and will be kept under review.