Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced what he has called a cautious but irreversible roadmap out of England's third national lockdown.
"It's all pointing in the right direction, but I think nobody can say with certainty that this is... finished," he told lawmakers. "We're certainly not out of the woods yet, even on this wave."
Last week the French government said people travelling from non-EU countries to France will no longer be allowed enter by presenting a negative result from a quick COVID-19 test.
Commenting on the report, opposition member of parliament Ed Miliband said the government's priorities were "out of step with the needs of workers and their families".
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Midlands, the north east, parts of the north west and parts of the south west would be moved into Tier 4 from 00.01 on Thursday.
Unfortunately this new variant is now spreading across most of England and cases are doubling fast.
Facebook, Twitter and Chinese-owned TikTok face fines of up to 10% of turnover if they fail to remove and limit the spread of illegal content under laws proposed by Britain on Tuesday.
Tech platforms will also need to do more to protect children from being exposed to grooming, bullying and pornography, the government said, to ensure the safety of children online.
Johnson famously prepared two newspaper articles arguing for and against Britain's departure from the European Union before leading the Brexit campaign in 2016.