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Scientific advisers have warned ministers who believe the new variant of COVID-19 spreads faster than previous strains, Sky News understands.
Government scientists are expected to meet next week to strategize on how Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions could be strengthened in response.
It comes amid reports that cabinet ministers were due to meet tonight to discuss evidence indicating the new strain was spreading faster than previously thought.
Boris Johnson was reportedly holding emergency talks with his Cabinet about possible travel restrictions for people in London and the South East.
News of the meeting sparked speculation that a press conference could be called on Saturday to announce new travel guidance during the holiday period.
Identifying the “new variant” of COVID-19 – believed to be causing the fastest spread in the southeast – was Announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock this week.
More than 1,000 cases of the strain have been found, “predominantly in southern England,” Hancock told the House of Commons.
He said the new variant had spread faster than the existing strain of coronavirus and it is believed to be fueling the “very steep exponential increases” in cases throughout the Southeast.
But he tried to downplay the fears, saying that there is currently no evidence that the new variant does not respond to the COVID-19 vaccines that are being rolled out across the country.
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And, he said, “there is currently nothing to suggest that this variant is more likely to cause serious illness.”
The health secretary said that the rapid pace of the new spread could mean that this variant will become the most dominant in the entire country.
“The best way to describe it is, imagine a giant oak, and then a small branch that comes off that tree. Then that branch becomes the main trunk and the main artery of that tree,” he explained.
Hancock added that government scientists were studying the new variant at its Porton Down facility.
A spokesman for the prime minister said he could not immediately comment on reports of a possible tightening of emergency restrictions.
Johnson said on Friday that he hoped England would not have to enter a third lockdown after Christmas, as various experts have warned it is possible.
