Matt Hancock reveals 'new variant' of Coronavirus has been identified in UK

Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced today that a new variant of coronavirus has been identified in the UK, which may be linked to the steep rise of infections in the South of England.

Addressing the House of Commons, Mr. Hancock said, "Over the last few days, thanks to our world-class genomic capability in the UK, we have identified a new variant of coronavirus which may be associated with the faster spread in the South of England.''

He warned: "Initial analysis suggests that this variant is growing faster than the existing variants.

"We've currently identified over 1,000 cases with this variant predominantly in the South of England although cases have been identified in nearly 60 different local authority areas.

"And numbers are increasing rapidly.''

Speaking on how the findings would impact the vaccination programme currently being rolled out across the UK, he said: "I must stress at this point that there is currently nothing to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause serious disease and the latest clinical advice is that it's highly unlikely that this mutation would fail to respond to a vaccine, but it shows we've got to be vigilant and follow the rules and everyone needs to take personal responsibility not to spread this virus.

"I need to tell the House that over the last week, we've seen very sharp, exponential rises in the virus across London, Kent, parts of Essex and Hertfordshire.

"We do not know the extent to which this is because of the new variant but no matter its cause we have to take swift and decisive action which unfortunately is absolutely essential to control this deadly disease while the vaccine is rolled out.''

This announcement comes following the decision to move Greater London, the South and West of Essex and the South of Hertfordshire into tier three, England's highest tier, from one minute past midnight on Wednesday.

Discussing the urgency for action, the health secretary stated: "when the virus moves quickly, we must move quickly too and we must take the actions that are not necessarily easy but are effective."

Under tier three restrictions, all hospitality venues including pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes, must close. Only takeaway service can continue to operate.

Speaking of the effect of these measures on London's economy, a representative from The Cities of London and Westminster said: "I am bitterly disappointed in what we're having to go through in London at the moment.

"I have been fighting hard against having Tier 3 imposed on us but, having seen the data, I now accept that it is necessary to protect our NHS and our health.

"However, there is no doubt that Tier 3 restrictions will have devastating economic consequences for central London - especially on our hospitality sector and will be hard on residents here as well.

"I've seen our pubs, bars and restaurants working incredibly hard under very difficult circumstances to keep us all safe, and this is going to hurt them.''

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