Clive Bull 1am - 4am
What time is Boris Johnson's Downing Street press conference today?
30 December 2020, 13:06 | Updated: 30 December 2020, 17:00
Boris Johnson will lead a Downing Street press conference at 5pm this afternoon, as more areas are expected to be moved into Tier 4.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will lead a press conference this afternoon on a busy day for the government, with Brexit and coronavirus dominating the news.
Here's everything you need to know about the Downing Street press conference today:
What time is the Boris Johnson's press conference?
Downing Street have confirmed that the press conference will be held at 5pm this afternoon.
Boris Johnson will lead the briefing and is likely to also be accompanied by the government's medical advisors.
Click here to watch the press conference live.
What is Boris Johnson expected to say at the Downing Street press conference?
The prime minister's press conference comes after the MPs debate and vote on his post-Brexit trade deal in Parliament. A vote is expected at 2.30pm.
Boris Johnson is likely to mention the Brexit deal at the media briefing, ahead of signing the 1246-page agreement this evening.
However, the press conference is likely to be dominated by the coronavirus crisis, as cases and hospitalisations surge across the country.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will announce which areas will move into Tier 4 'Stay at Home' restrictions at 3.30pm in Parliament.
'We will be out of this by Spring,' Matt Hancock tells LBC
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Hancock told LBC the new variant of Covid is making suppressing it much harder, but dismissed reports that he would announce a Tier 5.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is also expected to speak in the Commons at around 3.45pm, as the government faces pressure to delay the opening of schools.
Primary and secondary schools are expected to be told to delay their reopening for at least two weeks in Tier 4 hotspots, The Sun reports.
All secondary schools in England are expected to be closed for an extra week to allow timing for mass testing to be rolled out.
At the Downing Street press briefing Boris Johnson is likely to address all of these points, as well as the regulatory approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this morning.
Read more: Oxford Covid vaccine: Millions to get first dose sooner after regulators change guidance
Read more: Essex declares 'major incident' as hospitals risk being overwhelmed by Covid-19
Read more: Lord Alan Sugar's sister dies from Covid-19 two weeks after death of brother