Image source, Reuters

There are no plans for an "immunity passport" to allow people into places such as pubs and restaurants, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said.

It comes after the government's new vaccine minister, Nadhim Zahawi, suggested businesses could bar those who have not had a Covid-19 vaccine.

But Mr Gove told BBC Breakfast: "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, that's not the plan.

"What we want to do is to make sure that we can get vaccines effectively rolled out."

However, he added: "Of course, individual businesses have the capacity to make decisions about who they will admit and why.

"But the most important thing that we should be doing at this stage is concentrating on making sure the vaccine is rolled out."

Image source, Getty Images

Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton will miss this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain after testing positive for coronavirus.

His team, Mercedes, said the Briton woke with mild symptoms on Monday and returned a positive result at a subsequent test and again at a retest.

Hamilton, 35, who is now self-isolating, won the Bahrain Grand Prix at the same circuit on Sunday.

Mercedes say a replacement will be named in due course.

"Apart from mild symptoms, he is otherwise fit and well and the entire team sends him our very best wishes for a swift recovery," a statement said.

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Tory MP Tim Loughton is one of those who says he will be voting against the government’s proposals for a stricter tier system across England later.

The former children's minister told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was “disappointed” by the impact assessment of the measures published by the government on Monday, describing it as “a cut and paste job” that “doesn’t add an awful lot to what we already know”.

He also told Today there were “too many inconsistencies” within the tier system.

The MP gave the example of his own constituency of East Worthing and Shoreham, which he said had the lowest infection rates in the whole of south-east England – below 30 per 100,000 – yet was still being placed in tier two from Wednesday.

A number of Conservative MPs have criticised the new tier system, but with both Labour and the SNP abstaining from the vote, the measures are expected to pass.

Read more on this story.

Image source, Reuters

And here are the main coronavirus stories elsewhere in the world this morning.

• US President Donald Trump's controversial special adviser on the coronavirus, Scott Atlas, has resigned
• Canada's federal government will spend C$100bn ($77bn, £58bn) to kick-start the country's post-pandemic economy
• All retail outlets, hairdressers, museums and libraries will reopen in the Republic of Ireland today, after a lockdown of nearly six weeks
• The United Nations is appealing for a record £26bn next year to fund humanitarian aid around the world. It says the number of people in need of aid and protection will rise 40% from this year, largely because of the economic effects of the pandemic

Image source, PA Media

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Here are the main stories in the UK this morning:

• MPs will vote later on the government's proposals for stricter tiers across England. More than 55 million people will enter the two toughest tiers from 00:01 GMT on Wednesday if the plans are approved
• JD Sports is expected to pull out of talks over a rescue deal for department store chain Debenhams. It comes after retail giant Arcadia, the biggest concession operator in Debenhams, collapsed into administration, with trading hit by the pandemic
• Covid-19 could be causing lung abnormalities still detectable more than three months after patients are infected, research suggests
• The "invisibility of vulnerable children" during the pandemic should be a "matter of national concern”, says England's chief inspector of schools
• Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for coronavirus and will miss this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain