Boris Johnson has warned the public to expect new controls to curb the spread of the Omicron variant amid fears the NHS could be overwhelmed.

Following a special two-hour meeting the Cabinet, the Prime Minister said they were monitoring the data “hour by hour”.

However, he said the arguments for taking action were “very, very finely balanced” – indicating fresh measures were unlikely before Christmas.

“Unfortunately I must say to people that we will have to reserve the possibility of taking further action to protect the public, to protect public health, to protect our NHS,” he said.

“We are looking at all kinds of things to keep Omicron under control and we will rule nothing out.

“But at the moment, what I think we want people to focus on is exercising caution – so ventilation, masks in the appropriate places, all the usual stuff about washing hands, but remember how contagious Omicron really is.