Covid: Matt Hancock on 'new variant’ of Coroanavirus

A new variant of Covid-19 could be speeding up the spread of cases in parts of south east England, Matt Hancock has told MPs.

The health secretary explained more than 1,000 cases had been found in 60 council areas but they were predominantly in south east England, with numbers “increasing rapidly”.

He said similar variants had been identified in other countries, but he said it was “highly unlikely” the new strain of the virus would fail to respond to a vaccine.