London heading for at least Tier 3

When will London move into Tier 3 restrictions? The sense in government is that it’s no longer a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ — and that ‘when’ is imminent. Matt Hancock is expected to make an announcement this afternoon after he chaired a Covid operations committee meeting this morning to look at the data. The initial plan had been for a review of the tiers by Wednesday — but that decision has been brought forward after the capitals worrying rise in infection rate data. 

When areas were placed into the new tier system a few weeks ago, there were some ministers — namely Michael Gove — who pushed for London to be placed under the strictest restrictions. However, they faced strong resistance both from the Chancellor and the London Mayor. That resistance has in large part subsided. London Mayor Sadiq Khan has told the press that the capital could be put under Tier 3 as soon as today — and called for secondary school closures.