None of that is guaranteed, of course, and so a delay, government scientists are arguing, gives them more time to work out with confidence where we are heading - and it is even possible the immunity built up by the vaccines will have started to halt the growth by then.

With travellers from every major viable tourist destination currently required to go into quarantine when they return to the UK, Ms Dee warned the UK government's "overly cautious" approach to reopening travel meant this summer would be "as bad, if not worse, than...

"Because the system is so overloaded, every time one of these things happens now, the system is already at breaking point, or past breaking point, so anything else just adds grist to the mill," explains James Baker, containers editor at shipping industry publication,...