Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

There is confusion in Whitehall about whether a report on lockdown parties will still be published - and in what form - after the Met's statement this morning.

It's understood many in the Cabinet Office were caught by surprise by the Met's statement and are working out the implications.

Sue Gray had fully intended her findings were published - and had been in talks with police about what could be included.

It's thought those negotiations were behind the delay in sending the report to Downing Street.

More clarity is expected later.

Image source, EPA

We've got more now on the call from more than 300 scientists and public health experts for the UK to help poorer countries get vaccinated.

They have written to the UK government, external urging it to support moves to waive the intellectual property rights on Covid vaccines. The waiver would enable developing countries to manufacture their own.

The scientists say the Omicron variant is a stark warning of the dangers posed by vaccine inequality and that it's reckless to allow three billion people in lower-income countries to go unvaccinated.

One of the letter's authors is former chief executive of NHS England, Lord Crisp. He says unless the whole world is vaccinated "none of us are safe" because the virus mutates more in unvaccinated populations. "I think the UK could take a massive lead on this," he says.

However, Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, says: "As acknowledged by the World Health Organization, the issue is not production constraints, it is how we effectively distribute and administer those doses."

The UK government's main strategy for global vaccine access has been to donate excess doses. Last summer, it pledged to give 100 million doses by mid-2022, and so far has donated 23 million to poorer countries.

Read more here.

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Barnard Castle. It's a name which became synonymous with a trip by a certain Downing Street aide during lockdown.

Now, after being thrust into the media spotlight amid the Dominic Cummings lockdown row, the County Durham fortress has seen its "best ever" year for tourists in 2021.

It saw 30,721 visitors, up 20% from 2019, English Heritage says.

The prime minister's ex-chief aide drove to the town to test his eyesight before returning to London after self-isolating at his family's farm in 2020.

Cummings has said he believed he acted "reasonably" and within the law when he made the 260-mile journey from London with his family to the town, and Durham Police took no action.

It should be said a boom in UK holidays caused by the pandemic also saw tourism rise elsewhere.

Image source, AFP

Image source, Getty Images

Scientists have warned the government that allowing large numbers of people in lower-income countries to go unvaccinated is "reckless" and could lead to new Covid variants.

More than 320 experts have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, external, calling for urgent action.

Dr Richard Hatchett, chief executive of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations - a global partnership to develop vaccines to stop future epidemics, tells BBC Radio 4's Today programme while Omicron is subsiding in some countries "the virus is going to continue to circulate, and it’s certainly not over in many parts of the world".

The virus will continue to mutate, he says, and it is unpredictable whether a dangerous variant could emerge.

"Even as the virus subsides and people begin to go about their business in a more normal way, governments need to take advantage of the opportunity to continue their preparedness work and to prepare for a future that we cannot predict," he says.

He adds the challenge in 2022 is to reach people in countries with limited resources to deliver jabs.

Michelle Roberts
Health editor, BBC News online

Scientists have been keeping a close watch on a variant of Omicron called BA.2.

It looks slightly different to "regular" BA.1 Omicron and scientists say these changes or mutations it has undergone might make it a bit more infectious.

In some countries, such as Denmark, it has been gaining ground over BA.1.

Covid cases of this type have been increasing in recent weeks in the UK, although the bulk of infections are still BA.1 Omicron.

An initial analysis by UK experts for the government suggests existing Covid jabs are holding up well against both types of Omicron.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, external, protection against symptomatic illness is about 70% a fortnight after having your booster.

Will Met request see Sue Gray report watered down?published at 09:12 Greenwich Mean Time 28 January 2022

09:12 GMT 28 January 2022

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

We had expected the Sue Gray report to be published earlier this week.

The Met announcing its own investigation threw a spanner in the works, which is still being dealt with.

For the past few days, we've known Sue Gray was talking to the Met and government lawyers about what could and couldn't be published.

Gray wants to send a copy of the report to No 10 that can be published in full.

My understanding is Sue Gray still intends to publish a report.

But the timings are unclear and this morning's statement from the Met - saying it has asked for "minimal reference" to alleged incidents police are investigating - will lead some to question whether the most serious allegations could be watered down.

Image source, Getty Images

Doubts have emerged over the timing of the positive Covid test tennis star Novak Djokovic used to enter Australia to try to compete in the Australian Open.

It was provided to exempt him from rules barring unvaccinated people.

However, the serial number on his test on 16 December appears out of sequence with a sample of tests from Serbia over this period gathered by the BBC.

It is also higher than for his second (negative) test result from six days later.

His visa application was ultimately rejected, but not on these grounds, and he was deported.

Documents submitted by his lawyers, external to federal court in Australia included two Covid (PCR) test certificates, one with a positive result on 16 December and one with a negative result on 22 December.

Our Reality Check team examine what may have happened here.

Image source, EPA

The Metropolitan Police statement saying it has asked for "minimal reference" to be made in the Sue Gray report to alleged incidents it is investigating may explain the delay in the publishing the report.

The senior civil servant had been expected to publish her report on Wednesday but on Tuesday Scotland Yard revealed it had launched its own investigation after it was passed information by Gray's team.

While the Met has not objected to the report being published - since any action they take could be limited to issuing fixed penalty notices, and not lead to a criminal trial - Downing Street has said reassurances were being sought that none of the content would cut across police work.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson has been told by Whitehall sources that Sue Gray is determined the report she submits to Downing Street will be in a form that can allow for it to be published by No 10 in full.

The prime minister will get sight of Gray's report before it is published but will not get a veto on its content.

What she wants to avoid, our correspondent says, are last-minute redactions, or a report that focuses on the least egregious events, while leaving everything that's contentious to the police.

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The fall in Covid cases seen since early January has come to a halt.

For more than a week, the daily number of positive tests being reported has been averaging just above 90,000.

That's well above the peak of last winter. But how concerning is this?

In many ways the levelling-off was to be expected. Two basic things influence infection levels - the amount of immunity in the population and how much people mix.

And it was a combination of the two that saw the Omicron variant peak earlier this month.

The rapid rollout of boosters certainly helped, but low levels of mixing also played a role.

As people have returned to work and school, contacts will have increased, giving the virus more opportunity to spread.

Particularly high infection rates are now being seen in children and this seems to be translating to an increase in cases in their parents' age group.

Read more from Nick here.

We have an update on the Sue Gray report into allegations of parties at Downing Street...

No, it still hasn't been published but Scotland Yard has confirmed it has asked for "minimal reference" to be made to the alleged incidents it is investigating in the Sue Gray report.

In a statement the Metropolitan Police says: "For the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report.

"The Met did not ask for any limitations on other events in the report, or for the report to be delayed, but we have had ongoing contact with the Cabinet Office, including on the content of the report, to avoid any prejudice to our investigation."

You can read more here.

Image source, Getty Images

Rules on physical distancing and the wearing of face masks in certain circumstances are being relaxed in Scotland.

It follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's announcement on Tuesday that an "improving situation" allowed the easing of more Covid restrictions.

Face masks are no longer be required for adults taking part in organised activities with children under five.

And face covering exemptions requiring two-metre physical distancing will see a reduction to one metre from today.

The exemptions apply in certain indoor settings, for example for receptionists and people leading religious services.

The two-metre distancing requirement was introduced in December as a response to the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant.

Image source, Getty Images

Nightclubs can reopen in Wales on Friday as business restrictions brought in to tackle the Omicron variant are scrapped.

The rule of six in pubs and restaurants will be lifted, and businesses will no longer be obliged to impose social distancing rules.

The legal requirement to work from home will also end, but mask wearing rules - scrapped in England - are staying in shops, hospitals and public transport.

Covid passes will remain for nightclubs, large indoor events, concert halls and cinema and theatre visits.

Meanwhile masks are still required in schools until the February half-term.

It is a day of changing rules in parts of the UK today, while in England the government still awaits Sue Gray’s report into Downing Street parties during lockdown.

Here’s some of the headlines:

• Nightclubs can reopen and the rule of six is lifted for pubs and restaurants in Wales as part of a raft of changes to rules brought in to slow the Omicron variant
• In Scotland, rules on physical distancing and the wearing of face masks in certain circumstances are being relaxed
• Doubts have emerged over the timing of the positive Covid test tennis star Novak Djokovic used to enter Australia to try to compete in the Australian Open
• Scientists have warned the government that allowing large numbers of people in lower-income countries to go unvaccinated is "reckless" and could lead to new Covid variants
• And Barnard Castle had its "best ever" year for tourists in 2021 after the town was thrust into the media spotlight amid the Dominic Cummings lockdown row

Hello and welcome along to our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

We’ll be bringing you updates from around the world throughout the day.