Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has told Prime Minister Boris Johnson to bring in new national Covid restrictions within the next 24 hours, rather than hint that he will do so soon.

Sir Keir told reporters: “The virus is clearly out of control.

“And there’s no good the Prime Minister hinting that further restrictions are coming into place in a week, or two or three.

“That delay has been the source of so many problems.

“So, I say bring in those restrictions now, national restrictions, within the next 24 hours.

“That has to be the first step towards controlling the virus.”

Sir Keir added: “The more important thing in a way is that national restrictions need to come in the next 24 hours.

“Let’s not have the Prime Minister saying ‘I’m going to do it, but not yet’, that’s the problem he has made so many times.

“Nationwide lockdown – the Prime Minister has hinted that that’s going to happen but he’s delaying again. And we can’t afford that again.”

The Labour leader added: “We can’t allow the Prime Minister to use up the next two or three weeks and then bring in a national lockdown which is inevitable.

“Do it now. That’s the necessary first step to get the virus back under control.”

He added: “Everybody wants children back in school. There is nobody that would argue with that. Of course that’s what we all want.

“It’s inevitable more schools will close.

“I don’t want to call for the closure of schools tomorrow morning and add to the chaos, but we do need to recognise that it is inevitable that more schools will close, and we need a plan in place to deal with it.

“But it can only be part of a wider strategy that has a national lockdown in place in the next 24 hours.

“The Prime Minister is hinting at it, but he’s not doing it. We can’t afford that delay again.”