Image source, Getty Images

Javid is now moving onto masks. He says the compulsory wearing of them will be extended, but not in places like gyms where it is not practical.

And on Covid certificates, he says the venues where they are needed will be limited.

But Javid says in light of the new data on Omicron, booster jabs will be required for the passports "as soon as all adults have a reasonable chance of getting" one.

Javid keen to focus on boosters, not curbspublished at 14:24 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2021

14:24 GMT 14 December 2021

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Sajid Javid wants to move as swiftly as he can in his speech away from restrictions – which are controversial on the Conservative side of the House – to the vaccine booster programme, where there is more consensus.

He would rather take questions on how to boost boosters too.

It is preferable to being denounced by his own colleagues for imposing restrictions variously described by opponents as authoritarian, ineffective and un-Conservative.

Sajid Javid says Omicron has shown the travel red list for countries is no longer working in stopping the spread of new variants.

As a result, England will remove all 11 countries from red list from 04:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Image source, HoC

Tory Alec Shelbrooke says variants do come along, but if they are going to keep coming "how do we avoid debating the same thing in three months or five months time?".

Javid says the key is the vaccine, and points back to that future proofing he just mentioned.

He says the "responsible decision to take" is to move to the government's plan B.

The health secretary says "they are not steps to take lightly" as he believes in liberty, and "mindful of costs" to education, health and the economy.

But Javid says it is "vital to act early" and "build our defences", and they won't keep measures in place a day longer than necessary.

Javid says Omicron has highlighted the need to go faster with booster roll-outs - hence everyone over 18 will be offered a chance to get their jab before the new year.

He calls it a "national mission" and a "race" against Omicron.

But he says the government is future-proofing as well, striking deals for 114 million doses going forward that could be adjusted to new variants.

Image source, HoC

Javid says if there was a car crash with a child who needed emergency care, he doesn't want the NHS to have to decide who to help.

Lib Dem Layla Moran focuses on the child in this example and asks what his plan is to help protect them against Omicron.

The health secretary says there isn't evidence yet that it affects them worse, but they will keep an eye on the data.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Tory rebel Steve Baker asks a clever question.

Given the picture painted of a fast-spreading variant, he wonders why so "few" restrictions are being proposed.

It is an attempt to tease out whether Sajid Javid is only putting forward a down-payment on restrictions, with more instalments to follow.

Labour's Rachel Maskell says the measures in front of them today might already be out of date if the virus is spreading fast, but the health secretary stands by them.

After some more interventions, Javid again returns to his speech, saying the government has kept measures in reserve in case the NHS came under pressure.

He says there is now a very real risk the rise of Omicron threatens to overwhelm them.

He claims the government has done a lot to boost the resources of the health service, but the NHS will "never have unlimited numbers of beds" or people to help them, so they "have to step in".

Javid's toughest audience is his own MPspublished at 14:10 Greenwich Mean Time 14 December 2021

14:10 GMT 14 December 2021

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Spoiler alert: the government will win all the crucial Covid votes.

But it looks like it will have to rely on Labour for victory.

Ministers can point to opinion polls suggesting public support for restrictions as Omicron takes hold, but that won't convince a significant number of Conservative MPs to offer their backing.

Lifting automatic self-isolation requirements in England for close contacts of Omicron cases, ensuring Covid passes take account of negative tests and not just vaccine status, has not bought off many rebels.

So Health Secretary Sajid Javid has to convince the toughest audience - those sitting behind him - that his measures are proportionate and are not the thin end of a restrictive wedge.

Image source, HoC

Javid promises the government is using the best advice they are being given to make the new rules a "balanced and proportionate" response - a line used often in the past few days by the prime minister.

He says vaccines have proved to be highly effective against other variants, but analysis of Omicron show two doses offer much lower protection.

However, he says effectiveness rises significantly after a third dose.

The health secretary says the government wants to "come down hard on the virus now and strengthen defences" rather than wait.

The health secretary tells MPs he accepts that some predictions have been "completely off the mark" when it comes to Covid variants spreading.

But he says just because estimates have been wrong in the past, it doesn't mean they will be wrong in the future.

Labour's Toby Perkins says while Javid isn't getting support from his own side, the opposition will be supporting the measures.

Image source, HoC

Javid says although we don't have a complete picture of the severity, of Omicron, its transmissibility means it still has the potential to overwhelm the NHS

Even if it has half the severity of Delta, the health secretary says, "it would only buy you two days" before hospitalisations reach the same level.

"There really is no time to lose," he adds.

Back to his speech, and Javid reiterates it is a "fast-moving situation".

He says Omicron is more transmissible than other variants, with growth nearing the rapid increase being seen in South Africa, with cases doubling every two days.

The health secretary says scientists "have never seen a variant capable of spreading so rapidly" and the government needs to look at how to slow its advance.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas calls for courage from the minister to go further and say it was time to limit contact, but again he wants to focus on today's measures.

Image source, HoC

Javid takes another intervention from his own benches - this time from Andrew Murrison.

He says since the data is changing "almost by the minute" it is "inconceivable" the country will be in the same place next week, so Parliament should meet over the next fortnight.

But Javid wants to focus on the measures on the table today.

One last intervention from Labour, asking for better sick pay for those who need to isolate.

Javid promises to look at it further.

"Omicron is a grave threat," says Javid.

He adds that the government acted early, but data over recent days has shown it is a growing concern.

He then faces his first intervention, from Tory Mark Harper, who asks if the House will be recalled if more measures are brought in over the Christmas break.

The health secretary says he understands why he is asking, but it is not in his power and must be something the government as a whole decides.

Image source, HoC

But Javid says even in July, when England opened up, he knew the greatest risk was another new variant - especially one that can "puncture the wall" of vaccinations.

He says the vast majority of new variants present no risk, with hundreds coming and going since the summer.

But Omicron is different.

Sajid Javid opens the debate by saying the pandemic has caused upheaval across the world.

The health secretary says the UK has learnt a lot and is still learning.

But the country can take "huge pride" in how much of 2021 has been a "year of recovery".

Health Secretary Sajid Javid has taken to his feet to open today's debate in the Commons on the new Covid rules for England.

Stay with us as he makes his argument and for all the news and analysis ahead of the votes.

Professor Steve Reicher, who advises the government on behavioural science, has launched a withering attack on alleged Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street during last year’s lockdown.

He said it was a “failure of leadership” that had created a “warrant for rule-breaking” among the general public.

Prof Reicher compared a video of advisers joking about a Downing Street party last December to Dominic Cummings’ infamous lockdown trip to Barnard Castle.

Both incidents created a sense of “them and us” and destroyed trust, said the scientist, who is a regular critic of the government.

“It means in the end they can not do their job and can not lead us through this crisis,” he said in a presentation to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on coronavirus.

But, he added, all the evidence suggested the public was adhering to the rules despite the government’s actions and were “listening to the science”.

Prof Reicher, of St Andrews University, is a member of the Spi-B sub-committee, which feeds into the Sage group of scientific advisers to the government.

Downing Street has insisted that all Covid rules were followed.

Image source, Reuters

Ahead of today's debate, Boris Johnson held a meeting with his cabinet to tell them the government "must be clear in our message to the country to get boosted now".

A statement from Downing Street said senior ministers were told the new Omicron variant "continues to spread at a concerning rate, with almost 4,500 cases confirmed across the UK, 10 hospitalisations and sadly one death of an individual".

England's Chief Medical Officer Prof Chris Whitty also updated cabinet on the latest evidence, confirming the doubling time of Omicron still appeared to be around two to three days.

He warned there was "no reliable evidence from South African scientists of a peak in case rates", and that while it was too early to say how severe the variant was, "we can expect a significant increase in hospitalisations as cases increase".

The statement also said the PM warned a "huge spike of Omicron was coming" and the measures he wanted to introduce were "balanced and proportionate, helping to reduce transmission while we ramp-up the booster programme".